Shades of Gray
by Viqueen
Summary: Relationships are hard for anyone, but can be especially difficult when one has written off people all together. Is it possible for someone who has fought for so long to see the world in more than just black and white? R/OC Friendship Language/Violence
1. So it Begins

Okay, first attempt at writing in FOREVER!! I tried proofreading, but it is likely I missed some things. Please point them out nicely if you find them. Rorschach is a challenge to write for, especially in this sort of fic, but I'm giving it the god ole college try ^^

I hope this doesn't suck too badly.

I don't own anyone in the Watchmen universe, Audrey is mine though… so no stealing, 'kay?

* * *

_Rorschach's Journal, November 1, 1982_

_Late afternoon, the city is restless, animals straining at the edge of the shadows. Hungry for the innocent flesh that walks by, unaware of the death eagerly nipping at their heels. No, not innocent. Nothing is untouched._

The woman walked with purpose, glancing at street signs and studying her surroundings with a cautious, yet confident air. Though she was aware that a myriad of possible dangers lurked in the alleyways nearby, she would not be driven from her goal. Turning the corner at fortieth and seventh, a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth upon seeing the old newsstand and its loyal vendor. Stepping behind the overweight man as he finished closing up the stand, she tapped his shoulder.

Glancing around there was a short moment of confusion before his eyes lit up with recognition. "Audrey," he laughed as they embraced warmly, a gesture at odds with the darkening atmosphere of the city. "Last time I saw you, you were barely out of high school. What the heck brings you around here?"

The woman chuckled, "Hi Uncle Bernard," giving him one last squeeze before they released one another. "I'm in town for a new job offer. There's a conference tomorrow, just thought I'd stop in and say hi before I get home," she replied.

Bernard raised a brow, "Oh? This must be a good offer to drag you all the way out to the city."

"Product design for one Veidt industries' smaller umbrella companies," she grinned. "Should be apart of a team of artists and sculptors making toys for the Ozymandias line… If all goes well, at least."

The man whistled appreciatively. "Veidt huh?" he gave a toothy grin. "I'm happy for yah hun," and hugged her again. Looking up, he frowned, "You should be heading home, it's getting dark," he paused, "Where are you staying anyway?"

She shifted the strap of her messenger bag and dug out a bus schedule, "Up at Dad's place. He has Kyle while Steph's on a business trip, so I'm giving him a hand with babysitting while I look for an apartment."

Bernard frowned, "Not fair for you t-"

Audrey waved her hand dismissively, smiling, "It's no problem. I haven't seen the little devil since the adoption was finalized, plus it'll be good for him to know who the hell his sister is right?" She glanced at her watch, "Crap! I gotta go, bye Uncle Bernie!" She gave the man a quick hug before running off back the way she came, "I'll come back tomorrow," the woman shot over her shoulder, hearing the man laugh as she bolted down the sidewalk.

Turning the corner Audrey nearly collided with a short, shabbily dressed man bearing a dirty white sign on his shoulder. Clumsily hopping to the side she managed to redirect most of her forward momentum away from the man, but she still barely avoided smacking her face into his sign. Stumbling on the poorly kept sidewalk she somehow managed not to trip over her own feet, '_Thank God for little favors_.' "Sorry about that," she said, bowing her head and offering an awkward half-smile.

The man looked over at her impassively, "Somewhere important?" he asked, tone dull and devoid of any noticeable inflection.

Audrey blinked in confusion, "Excuse me?"

"Running away from something then," he stated, glancing around the corner. Finding nothing he turned back with the barest hint of annoyance in the set of his brows.

'_This guy's a little freaky_,' she thought to herself, '_and he smells like a trash can_,' she noted absently. "No just trying to catch the bus," she said taking half a step back. The man was close to (if not exactly) her height, but something in his eyes intimidated her and she had enough sense to not mess around with any matter of crazy people who lived in this city.

He raised a brow, pointing down the street with a dirty finger, "That one?"

"What?" Audrey turned to see the bus drive off down the steadily darkening street. She swore sharply, '_That's the last bus for another hour_,' she groaned in her head. Turning back she saw the dirty, redheaded man walking away down the sidewalk. Scowling at his retreating back, only then did she notice the words on his sign 'The End Is Nigh". The woman sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Cheerful guy," she muttered.

Looking over at her Uncle's newsstand she found it closed down and unmanned, glancing around she couldn't spot the man anywhere. "Damnit," Audrey growled sourly, stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets. Walking over to the bus stop she leaned against the rusted street light, setting her shoulders against a suddenly, sharp wind, "Damnit," she grumbled again and waited.

* * *

_Discarded mask and put face back on. Night is young and can already hear cries rising out of the city's underbelly. Leaving now._

After about half an hour, Audrey was beginning to really hate life in general and wondered if she had done anything to anger some karmic deity. This sort of grouching wasn't exactly becoming for a woman in her late thirties, but she was a woman so she was allowed to bitch. As the sun finished setting over the horizon, the temperature seemed to drop about thirty degrees. Her mental estimate was likely exaggerated, but that reasoning didn't help her feel any warmer. Also, she was feeling ridiculously exposed standing alone at the bus stop. As the sunlight receded Audrey sensed a near palpable change in the air, a dangerous turn. She could see the bright neon signs of the strip club down the street and the vague forms of the prostitutes prowling around for customers. Wrinkling her nose at the thought, she shrugged off the disapproval after a moment of thought. "Don't judge lest ye be judged," she murmured softly into the scarf she had wound around the lower half of her face in order to keep her nose from freezing off. Rolling her eyes she butted her head gently against the metal lamp post with a groan, "Friggin' catholic high school," she muttered.

Audrey jerked upright when a shuffling sound came from the alleyway just off to her left. Gripping the butterfly knife in her pocket (one of her father's that he gave to her when she moved out to college), she watched the alley out of the corner of her eye. Boisterous voices drifted from the alley, accompanied by the footsteps of definitely more than a few people, Audrey didn't even bother trying to count individual footfalls as they emerged from the shadows.

Audrey tried to relax and make herself an indifferent piece of the landscape, but she could not seem to release the tension in her shoulders. She settled to looking down the street with disinterest and leaning casually against the lamppost, gripping the knife firmly in her concealed fist. At least there was no way (in her mind) that she would be mistaken for a whore. The top half of her face was the only bit of exposed skin on her body and her canvas-denim jacket was warm, but bulky and unattractive.

Her heart rate started to pick up and her legs trembled a little due to the cold and from the trickling of adrenaline starting to flow through them. She heard the gang walk down the sidewalk a little ways, she couldn't make much sense out of their simultaneous conversations as they passed by her… not that she really had much of a desire to know.

After several very long minutes the group continued down the street, to do whatever it was that city street gangs did on cold November nights, and Audrey allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding.

As if by some divine cue a sharp scream erupted from across the street and was quickly stifled. Audrey nearly leapt out of her skin in surprise, but looked hard beyond the dim halo of light she stood under. Dark forms writhed beside a shadowed stoop of an apartment building and her eyes widened when she saw a pair of men drag a partly conscious girl (looking hardly out of her teenage years) into a nearby alley. '_Too many fucking alleys in this city_,' she thought somewhere in the back of her mind.

Suddenly she was torn between her own safety and the fate of that young girl. She gripped her knife so tightly that the handle started to bite into her palm and a low angry sound fought its way out of her chest. Looking up and down the relatively quiet street, an odd thing for any New York City road, she quickly decided that she couldn't run off to look for a phone. She could take the chance and waste time trying to find a booth or go knocking on doors until someone loaned her theirs, then she'd have to wait for the police to actually arrive… there just wasn't enough time. '_She could be dead by the time the cops get here... but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't do something_,' she thought and walked across the street, pulling out her knife and flipping it open with a practiced flick of her wrist. '_Random skill number 34, ability to handle knife. See mom? Totally useful_,' she thought with an oddly immature level of smugness. Turning the blade so it lay flat against her sleeve, hidden from immediate view, she pressed herself against the building and peered into the alley.

* * *

Bwahaha!! Cliff-hanger!! :dodges bricks:


	2. Tag Team

Heya peeps! I'm back!

Okay, gotta ask a favor of y'all. If Rorschach seems out of character, let me know, I really don't want to risk hurting his character by writing him wrong. Also if my chick seems Sue-ish, REALLY let me know, I'm trying hard to make a balanced, believable woman here and may need some help at times ^-^

Thanks, now on with the story!!

* * *

Peering around the edge of the apartment building, Audrey snapped back around so neither assailant or victim could see her, '_What the hell am I doing? I'm going to get myself killed for doing something ridiculously stupid… Heroic, yes, but really, really stupid… I'm not a freakin' vigilante…_' This train of thought processed through her mind quicker than she would have spoken it, but the remains of the woman's reservations and doubts died as a very soft and horribly pitiful whimper drifted out of the alleyway. All she could think about was how they found her younger sister after she left for an after-graduation party… bloody, beaten and abandoned in a car lot.

Audrey clenched her jaw and tugged off her scarf, the cold air instantly seeping around her exposed neck and face, but it was necessary to not risk getting snagged and to free up her vision. Palming the cold metal of her knife's handle she stepped into the alleyway, moving carefully and staying low. It wasn't likely that the two thugs would have noticed her, but she tried her best to keep silent anyway. Edging around a dumpster, ignoring the rats scurrying around at the base, she listened.

Whimpers and hushed whispers, then the near silence was broken by a suppressed chuckle. Audrey didn't realize it, but her expression at that moment turned murderous. '_I'll give that bastard something to laugh about_,' she swore to herself, the level of conviction in her promise was surprising as was the amount of figurative ice in the unspoken words.

* * *

Overhead and unseen Rorschach was crouched on an old fire escape, he'd followed the pair of thugs shortly after he discarded his mask and started his rounds. '_Going to be busy night. Filth all ready to work so soon after night fell_,' he thought to himself. Focused so intently on the two men and their prey he hadn't noticed Audrey creeping carefully in the darkness. Flexing his gloved hands he leapt into motion, moving down into the alleyway and sliding down a few stories worth of drainpipe to the littered ground. His movements were smooth, practiced and virtually without sound.

* * *

Nearing enough that she could see the men a little more clearly Audrey's doubts started to surface once more. She wasn't a slight woman, (standing at 5'6" at about 150 pounds) and she worked out enough that she might have been able to handle herself in a fight with another person her weight, '_Or maybe that gloomy redhead with the sign,_' she mused, but that was not the case with these two men. If they had an opportunity, they could easily overpower her. '_Well, better not give them that chance_'.

The slightly larger of the two men picked the partially conscious girl up and pressed her against the wall, while his partner did a very bad job as look out. Instead of possibly seeing one of the two people approaching them, he was nervously watching his companion "work".

"Come on man, just waste the chick already, Laurence'll freak if we're late for another pick-up," he pressed impatiently, deaf and uncaring to the beaten girl's moans of pain as she struggled to stay conscious.

The larger man snorted, working the girl's coat off and casting it aside, "Don't worry, we have plenty of time," he crooned the last bit into the girl's ear. She cried out weakly in indignation and gave a feeble attempt at resistance, at which the man snarled, punched her in the face and threw her to the ground.

Audrey sprung out from her shadowed hiding place when the smaller man's back was turned and, staying low, stabbed him in the leg. The man wheeled around, a scream of pain and surprise erupting from his throat. The solid impact felt strange as the force echoed up her arm and shoulder, like spearing the breast of the thanksgiving turkey, except the turkey didn't scream and bleed on you. Suddenly finding herself dazed, Audrey realized the man had knocked her to the ground, she kicked out instinctively and the heel of her foot caught the man's chin and his head whipped backward.

Audrey thought she heard a crack of bone as his head snapped back, but she didn't dwell on it as she clumsily rolled to her feet. She wasn't quick enough to avoid the other man as he fell upon her with the force of a charging bull. Seeing stars when the back of her head was knocked against the brick wall, she smelled sour breath in her face as the man said something to her. Unfortunately she was trying too hard to stave off the sweetness of unconsciousness to hear him. Mercilessly cold, sharp pain laced down her left side and it took half a second for her to realize it was because the man had stabbed her in the arm. He smiled viciously and twisted the blade; Audrey screamed in pain and thrashed wildly against the man. She was beyond the capacity for coherent thought at this point, but she did manage, '_I'm going to die here!_' The mental statement startled her and suddenly she fell to the ground, landing in an unceremonious heap.

Lying there for a moment she groaned hoarsely, tears stinging her eyes as she tried to stifle her sobs of pain. Without thinking she reached up and yanked the knife from her upper arm. Gripping the wound with her opposite hand she stubbornly blinked the tears from her eyes and saw the larger thug quite literally getting his face beaten in by a man in a dirty raincoat. Rorschach was muttering something as he reduced the man's face to a pulpy mess; either that or the bump to Audrey's head (among other things) was messing with her head.

Rorschach dropped the thug's now limp and lifeless body, not seeming to care or be affected in any way by the fact that he had just killed a man. Kneeling beside the beaten girl's body he looked her over, not willing to touch the young woman, but he could at least hear her weak breathing. Laying two fingers under her jaw he gauged her pulse as thready at best, then retracted his hand quickly as if burned by the contact.

"Don't," Audrey managed to choke out from behind him. Rorschach turned in his crouched position to see the other woman leaning against the brick wall, having forced herself to her feet by sheer force of will. Her eyes widened a little upon seeing the shifting black blots of his face, "Don't h-hurt her," she managed, face beginning to pale a little from blood loss and shock.

"Wasn't. Needs doctor, not that it makes a difference. Just be back in another alley with another man," he stated lowly, standing up.

Audrey glared at the masked man, '_Bastard_'. "Then why help her?" she growled unevenly, leaning over to grab her knife from the ground, not bothering to clean her blood off it before putting it in her pocket.

"Filth needed to be punished," he replied simply looking her over. She was bleeding badly, but she was still armed. "Stupid of you to try to help," he added after a moment.

"That a fact?" she snarled, "I was just doing the same thing your were inkblot," she spat, tugging her scarf out of her jacket pocket. Failing in her attempt to tie a tourniquet for her arm with one hand she dropped the scarf, she frowned when the vigilante picked the dirtied cloth up and set about tying off her arm. Her mind was beginning to fuzz a little, '_What did this guy roll in?'_ she wondered, wrinkling her nose.

"Phone at diner around corner, one block down road. Call hospital," Rorschach said, pulling the last knot tight with a firm jerk. Audrey almost held back the yelp of pain… Almost.

"Thanks," she muttered, but the vigilante gave no indication that he either cared or noticed her presence any longer. Audrey frowned a little as he quietly moved over to the smaller thug's body and nudged him onto his back. Audrey couldn't tell whether or not the man was still breathing, but at that exact moment she didn't really care. '_Bastard deserves to die_', that bitter thought worried her as she staggered over to the girl, looped one bruised arm across her shoulders and started to drag the girl out of the alley. It worried her because she seriously meant it, glancing down at the shallow breathing girl she stubbornly ignored the shakiness in her legs and trudged down towards the diner that the masked vigilante, Rorschach, had told her.

The woman didn't look back and Rorschach didn't watch her leave. He fisted the thug's collar and abruptly pushed him into the wall of the alleyway. The man groaned, "What th' hell?"

Rorschach put his masked face close to the other man's, masses of black shifting aggressively across the white. "Talk." The vigilante allowed himself to be pleased with the terror in the criminal's eyes, he'd have no problem getting the information he needed tonight.

* * *

Okay I may be pushing it a little with the wounds, but I tried to keep the fight believable. Audrey got lucky, nuff said, but gets karma points for trying.

Is Walter in character? Is my OC annoying? Please let me know, I love you all ^-^


	3. Further Investigations

Heya peeps,

Woot! I'm on spring break and have nothing to do!! Yay for writing!

I've been chatting with an awesome individual on DeviantArt about Rorschach/OC romances and I agree with her that the key for this to actually have any possibility of EVER working is if there's a lot of time for it to happen.

So, I turned the clock back a little to give myself a little more wiggle room. Therefore, instead of this story starting in November 1984 it's November 1982. This is may change in the future as I work out an actual timeline and series of events for this story, but I'll be sure to put up notices at the beginning of new chapters when I do so.

We'll just have to see how things unfold ^^

* * *

_Down by the river. Dock 13. Attacking disease at its source._

Vaulting nimbly over a concrete railing, Rorschach dropped into the loading bay with little more than a soft thump. Staying down with his knees bent, he tilted his head and listened. The wharf smelled of death and decay, murky water beating lazily against the docks and impatient steps created a rhythmic beat on the wooden pier.

The alleyway thug had broken easily under Rorschach's convincing methods of interrogation, leading the vigilante to the docks and (supposedly) to the latest supplier of the new KT-28 drug. 'Katies' had started hitting the streets a few months before and this particularly potent narcotic was spreading like wildfire through the shadowed pockets of the city.

Laurence Gray leaned casually against the door of his car, while his guard paced agitatedly up and down the pier, scanning the docks and studying the deep shadows around the old warehouses. Rorschach was wary when he only saw the two, looking to his left he quietly slipped into the warehouse, scanning the darkness for hidden enemies. After a minute or so of surreptitious investigation the vigilante didn't turn up anything unusual in the warehouse. He was somewhat disappointed by the lack of filth to punish, but turned his attention to the handful of crates stacked near the entrance of the abandoned building.

Just as Rorschach was moving to examine the crates, the warehouse door rattled open. He ducked out of sight, but the keyed-up guard was alerted by the barest whisper of movement in the dark. Holding out his hand he barred his better-groomed employer from entering, "Thought I saw something," he replied to the raised brow.

"Well then," Laurence folded his arms across his chest, expression untroubled, "go check it out."

Taking up his gun the widely built man stepped into the warehouse, calling upon his training in the military and lifetime of experience on the streets to track down the possible threat that was lurking somewhere in the abandoned warehouse. Moving out of the dim light spilling in from outside, he stood still and listened. Turning away from an old piece of metal scaffolding the man was suddenly knocked forward.

"Jesus!" he exclaimed, catching himself by landing on his knee, but losing his grip on his gun in the process. He cursed sharply as his firearm skidded away from him and out of sight, but the bodyguard reacted quickly enough to grab at the assailant on his back before he could spring out of reach. Grappling with his attacker, the bodyguard was genuinely surprised to see an inkblot instead of a face, "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me," he growled, trying to keep the vigilante from completely regaining his footing.

Keeping his grip on the masked vigilante, the bodyguard swung Rorschach around and threw him against the scaffolding that he'd been hiding in a few moments before. "You're the great fuckin' terror of the underworld, huh?" he snorted, feeling tough at being able to apprehend the notorious vigilante so easily, watching the stunned crimefighter try to get back up onto his feet. The significantly larger man, now devoid of a weapon but scarcely harmless, grabbed Rorschach's arm and hauled the vigilante off the ground. "Ain't so tough now a-" the jibe was cut abruptly short as the vigilante pivoted on his heel and struck. The bodyguard released his grip on Rorschach and collapsed to the concrete floor, choking on his own blood and grasping at the twisted piece of metal now protruding at an angle from beneath his jaw.

Rorschach flexed his fists and glanced down at his left, opening his gloved hand. The dirty leather was ripped in several places from where his makeshift weapon had now left a series of shallow gashes in his palm. Noting the damage with little visible concern he continued on, ignoring the bodyguard's shaking hand as it reached out towards him before going limp and falling to the floor.

Laurence was scrambling to open the door to his car when Rorschach found him. With strength that belied his smaller stature, Rorschach lifted the drug dealer up by the collar and threw him against the vehicle with enough force to dent the metal frame. The criminal grunted in pain at the impact and started to babble half-formed excuses and bribes.

Rorschach sneered beneath his mask, and slammed the man against the car again to silence his spineless rambling. "Where are the drugs going?" he demanded, voice rough and holding promises of pain if not answered readily. "Who's holding your leash?" he punctuated the question by knocking the man against the car door once more.

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Laurence practically whimpered, holding his hands up in supplication. "Just don't kill me. Please!"

Rorschach gave a noncommittal grunt, "We'll see."

* * *

"Good evening, Ms. Brigman. How are you feeling?" the doctor seemed prepared for the sour expression on his patient's face. Doctor Robinson was a long time veteran at the downtown hospital and was use to various levels of hostility and annoyance from his charges.

Audrey sighed, "I feel fine, just waiting for my release forms," she answered, tapping the arm of her chair restlessly. "How's the girl I brought in?" the woman asked, not only concerned, but wanting to stall the doctor before he started asking questions about her medical history for the third time.

"Stabilized," he smiled, it amused him to see so much energy in a woman who could have potentially died from blood loss earlier that night. It's a wonder what a few pints of A positive could do for a person. "She's sleeping at the moment, but she'll pull through fine. Her mother is actually in the room with her and wanted me to send you her thanks."

Audrey smiled awkwardly, "Nothing to thank." '_I didn't do anything worthy of gratitude_,' she thought. '_Rorschach's the one who deserves the credit for saving both our lives._'

A knock sounded at the door and the doctor beckoned for the visitors, a man and a young boy, to enter. Any thoughts of the alley or the masked vigilante were instantly pushed out of the forefront of her mind as her baby brother squealed her name and practically tackled her. Audrey winced a little when she had to angle her injured arm out of the immediate trajectory of her sibling's exuberant greeting, but the pain didn't dampen the joy she felt at that moment. "Hey kiddo," she laughed, giving him a one armed hug.

"Kyle!" their father barked. It wasn't a loud sound, but it resonated with a force that demanded obedience. To an untrained ear it sounded angry, but Audrey only heard concern in the gruff exclamation.

"Oh, Dad, he's fine," she assured, still holding her brother. The child had grown a lot in the time since she last saw him and was surprised by the amount of energy in his greeting. Normally a child his age would be a little more reserved when meeting someone he didn't know very well, but she didn't complain. Audrey smiled up at her father and kissed his unshaven cheek when he bent down to hug her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, brows knitted together anxiously.

Audrey nodded, "Never better," she smiled, glancing around her father's large frame at the doctor when a nurse came in. "Thank God, are those the release forms?"

The nurse chuckled at the amount of relief in the other woman's tone, "Yes. We just need a few signatures, then you're free to go."

It took a good amount of self-control, but somehow Audrey managed not to punch the air in delight. She hated hospitals with a vengeance and just wanted to get back to her father's apartment and sleep.

The doctor cleared his throat, taking the forms from the nurse before she left, "I would like to examine your arm one more time before you leave. Please?"

Audrey nodded, her father patted her head with a knowing smile on his tanned face, "We'll be waiting in the lobby," he said, steering the six-year-old out of the room.

"Okay."

Robinson took this as a little victory and handed the woman the clipboard. "Was that your son?" he asked conversationally as he unwrapped the bandage on her left arm.

Audrey didn't look up from the form, "He's my brother."

The doctor raised a brow at her clipped answer, he hadn't read her complete medical file, but sensed that he'd somehow hit a nerve. "How old is he?" he inquired, swabbing some antibiotic ointment on and around the stitched wound.

"Six," she paused as she finished filling the form out and placed the clipboard down. "How long before these can come out?" she asked, not feeling up to divulging any further amount of family information at such a late point in the night.

"I'd say about ten days, keep the site dry for the next forty-eight hours, and come back if you notice any discharge." Wrapping a fresh strip of gauze around her arm, the doctor picked up the form. "You're lucky, you know."

"How?" was the reply, as Audrey awkwardly pulled her arm through one sleeve of her coat and let it hang loose over the other shoulder.

"You could have had a bad concussion from being," he read over a part of her file, "Slammed against a brick wall" He raised a brow, "Hard to believe that you got out of that without help."

Audrey frowned a little, "They got spooked by something and ran off. That's what I told the police," she gestured to the open folder in his hands, "You've got the report." Audrey had her reasons for editing Rorschach out of her story to the police, any information about his actions could be used to help track him down and she felt that she owed him a little protection since he basically saved her life.

"Yeah," the doctor's tone was distracted, but then he smiled over at her. "Forget it, just thinking out loud."

"Right, uh, thanks for the help Doctor," Audrey said, making her way to the door.

"Stay out of alleys," he warned, calling after her back. The woman laughed at the doctor's light tone and suddenly jovial expression, waving a farewell as she went to find her father.

* * *

Dawn was just beginning to creep over the horizon when Rorschach returned to the streets. The drug dealer had told him about a rendezvous he was to have with his supplier the next night, but the vigilante didn't give the man an opportunity to warn his higher up. Dumping the crates into the harbor, his suspicions proved correct as they were filled to the brim with the telltale brown pill bottles, he left both bodies by the harbor to rot.

His hand had stopped bleeding, but the cuts in his palm were beginning to throb dully. Turning into an alley he tugged off his torn glove, which took a little work since the cuts had begun drying onto the fabric, and examined his palm. A soft sound drifted up from his feet and Rorschach looked down to see a very small, very dirty little cat looking right back up at him.

The two beings scrutinized each other for several long moments, the kitten finally breaking the silence with another plaintive meow. "Hurm," Rorschach put his glove back on and crouched down to study the kitten. The little animal rubbed its head against his knee, a purr rumbling out from its frail chest. "Not safe, can't follow me," Rorschach muttered gruffly.

The kitten tilted its head as his voice and the vigilante saw that one of its eyes was enflamed and swollen shut, whether from infection or injury he couldn't tell. The thin animal's coat was sparse and dull, doing little to protect it from the November wind, '_It'll die out here on its own. Needs protection,_' Rorschach was aware of the sheer number of stray animals that lived on the city streets and had never really felt any affinity for the beasts, but… '_Seems to be asking for help_.'

After another moment of thought he scooped the kitten up with one hand and tucked it under his arm, standing up in the same motion. About half a block later, Rorschach realized that he didn't know the first thing about how to actually help the animal. The kitten rubbed against his arm, likely trying to push closer to the source of his body heat. Rorschach obliged by placing the kitten into the front of his coat, the kitten nuzzled against his scarf and clung easily to the tough fabric of his trenchcoat. Passing by a familiar road he had an idea, '_Take to Dreiberg_.'

* * *

Not my best writing, but I'm trying…

The plot is rolling slowly but surely, I'll try to post more regularly ^^


	4. Kittens and Kings

Oh my god, this movie is like crack .

I've seen it five times in theaters and I still can't get enough…

Okay, on with the story

* * *

Rorschach stood at the front of his ex-partner's town house, a kitten tucked in the front of his coat while he picked the lock. He knew that breaking the door annoyed the former mask to an extent and, though not sane in the conventional sense, Rorschach was capable of enough forethought to not irritate someone before he went to ask them a favor. There was a click and Rorschach withdrew his tools, tucking them back into his pocket. Entering the house, he looked up and down the street before he closed the door behind him.

The kitten mewled softly against the lapel of his coat, but he didn't seem to notice as he calmly strode up the stairs of the dark house. Daniel Dreiberg was sleeping, light and untroubled snores rising with each breath, when Rorschach entered his room. The vigilante looked down at his former partner as he walked toward the bed, old, bitter feelings of disappointment, abandonment and betrayal rising in his breast. Since the Keene Act it had only been him. Rorschach. Left alone to wander the streets and try to beat back the tide of disease and corruption that threatened to destroy this city. He had placed his beliefs above his own safety by remaining a vigilante after the act was outlawed, because it needed to be done. He'd thought that at least Nite Owl, his partner and friend, would have stood by with him… Not the first time he had been proven wrong.

Pushing the troublesome thoughts and emotions away he reached out and shook the other man's shoulder, "Daniel." No response, so he shook a little harder, "Daniel!"

Eyelids twitched a little before cracking open, "Wha- JESUS!!" Daniel shot upright, arms flailing impulsively, "Who the- Rorschach?!" he yelped. Strangely pitiful thing, to hear a full-grown man's voice grow so high pitched from shock and alarm. Taking a breath and laying a hand over his chest as if that would steady his rapidly beating heart, he tried again, fumbling for the bedside lamp as he spoke, "What the hell are you doing here? What happened?"

Rorschach reflected on the other man's tone for a moment. There was such a mix of confusion, anxiety, concern, annoyance and fear in Daniel's voice that it was a challenge to gauge what his actual mood was at that point in time. "Need favor," the masked man stated simply, blots shifting lazily across the white canvas of his face.

The lamp switched on and Daniel paused, blinking against the light and in confusion at his friend, "Uh, what sort of-" he stopped when the bedraggled kitten poked its head out, rubbing its head against Rorschach's scarf while giving off a contented purr. Grabbing his glasses he stared at the little animal for a moment, glancing up at Rorschach's "face" trying to read something out of the shifting blots. At the same time, the man was trying his hardest not to start laughing at the sight. Here he was, woken up at three in the morning by the terror of the New York City underworld, and the man had a freaking kitten in his coat. "Uh, Rorschach? Why is there a cat in your shirt?"

The vigilante looked down, angling his head in a way that he would be able to study the kitten, and gently plucked it out of his coat. The animal mewled pitifully, upset from being moved away from the man's warmth, "Needs help," he sad simply, looking down at Daniel.

Staring blankly for a few moments, while his half-awake brain processed the request, Daniel raised a brow, "You're serious?" Stupid question, Rorschach was never anything _but_ serious. Running a hand through his disheveled curls, the man sat up a little straighter. "Why not just leave it at a shelter? If you're so concerned, why bring it to me?" he asked, gesturing with his hands. He'd never been much of an animal person and certainly hadn't pegged Rorschach as a 'friend to the animals' type either, so what the heck had brought this on?

"Can't. Requires medical help. Shelter would likely just put it down," he answered in his usual low, gruff voice, but Daniel saw how he tucked the kitten into the crook of his elbow. He saw how the other's body language turned vaguely protective around the cat. Whether it was intentional or not, it was there.

Daniel sighed, pulling back his comforter and swinging his legs out of the bed, "All right. All right," he said, moving over to the closet. "I'll take it to the vet," he started rummaging around the bottom of the closet. "I don't understand what brought this on though. There're ten thousand animals living on these streets, probably more, and you pick up the most pitiful looking kitten in the lot. Ah hah!" He stood and drew out a folded piece of cardboard with him, setting up the box he placed it on the floor and went over to his dresser.

Rorschach was quiet as the other man set up a makeshift kennel and bed for the kitten. Daniel was arranging an armful of painfully ugly sweaters in the box when the vigilante spoke, "Came to me, asked for help." He didn't shrug, but Daniel could hear the note of one in his voice.

He chuckled a little, suppressing the urge to make a 'Doctor Doolittle' comment, knowing that the other man wouldn't appreciate it, "Fine, fine." He stood, "I'm not keeping it though. I'll take it to the vet, but I'm not keeping it," he said firmly.

Rorschach said nothing and crouched down to place the animal into the box, but the kitten would have none of it. It clung stubbornly to the vigilante's sleeve, with a tenacity not to be expected from a half-starved, baby animal. Yet, with a gentleness that Daniel had hardly ever been witness to before, Rorschach managed to coax the kitten into the nest of sweaters. The two men stood there for a moment, looking down into the box as the kitten eventually curled into a tight ball barely the size of Daniel's fist.

A moment stretched between them and Rorschach turned to leave, "So, that's it, huh?" Daniel asked, feeling a little disappointed that the man he had been partnered with for over a decade didn't have any other reason to visit him. Although, he shouldn't be too surprised, Rorschach had never been a sentimental individual…

At the question, Rorschach paused for a second by the doorway, "Will come back later," and continued down the stairs. Daniel followed him down, intent on getting a hot water bottle for the kitten, was pleased to see that his lock hadn't been busted in. Rorschach opened the front door and stopped at the threshold, turning his head a little he said, "Take care, Daniel," and left.

The man blinked as the door swung closed, and he automatically walked over to secure and lock it, a small hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. Shaking his head he went into the kitchen and flipped on the light, murmuring softly to himself, "You too, buddy."

* * *

"Thanks for the ride, Dad," Audrey said, giving him a hug through the driver-side window of his car.

"You still think your okay to do this?" he asked, handing over her leather messenger bag. "I mean, sure you don't need more rest or something?" His brow was knit together, dark eyes apprehensive.

The woman smiled reassuringly and kissed his forehead, "I'm fine, no pain, so don't worry," she lied. The wound in her arm was a near constant reminder of the previous night's events, an incessant throb of almost-pain in her arm in spite of the painkillers the doctor had given her. She smiled convincingly, relieved when her father accepted her lie. Glancing down at her watch she hooked her bag over her good shoulder and waved, "I'm gonna be late. Wish me luck."

Audrey heard his reply as she jogged easily towards the building, slowing to a walk as she entered through the revolving doors. "Wow." The lobby was huge! Audrey didn't think she'd ever seen an office building built like this before. The ceiling seemed to go on forever, offices lining the inner walls of the building and elegantly railed walkways crisscrossing the expanse to form an intricate web of lines if looked at from directly below. Crossing the marble floor she cleared her throat when she reached the service desk.

She was greeted with a smile from the young receptionist, "How can I help you?"

Audrey smiled back, shifting how the strap of her bag laid on her shoulder, "I'm here for an eleven o'clock meeting with a Leo Winston?"

"Name?" the woman asked, tapping away at her keyboard.

"Audrey Brigman. I was referred by the CEO of RioTech?" she added helpfully, feeling little unsure due to the frown creasing the receptionist's brow as she typed.

Another moment dragged by and the frown disappeared, "Oh, yes, here you are." She smiled up at Audrey, "You're on the sixty-second floor. Conference room three. Would you like a guide?"

"Uh, no, I think I'll be all right," she bowed her head a little in appreciation, "Thank you."

The cheerful receptionist gave another infectious smile and pointed Audrey towards the elevators. Riding up the tube, Audrey began feeling the edge of the nervousness she'd been suppressing up 'til now. '_You'll be fine,'_ she said to herself, trying to calm down with a few deep breaths.

A chuckle pulled her from her thoughts and she turned a little to look at the man she was riding with. Her brain chose to short-circuit at that moment as it took a moment to process who the individual was. It took another second but she finally managed to form a coherent greeting, "Good morning, Mr. Veidt."

The smartest man on earth offered an easy smile, his person seeming to emanate a calm, self-assured sort of energy. "Good morning. You seem nervous, miss-?"

"Brigman," she tentatively offered her hand, not completely sure whether she should or not. "Audrey Brigman," she almost couldn't help the flush that started to rise to her cheeks when he gently shook her hand. "And I'm all right, just a little jittery I suppose," she added. Mentally berating herself for being so flustered, a part of her reasoned that this man was basically a super-star in current culture and she hadn't been prepared to meet him in this way. At the most she had prepared to encounter him at the end of a very long meeting table, not on her own in a glass elevator shaft. And in spite of the fact that he was around ten years her senior, Adrian was still quite handsome and his body- '_Oh no! Christ, I'm not going there!_' she barked at herself.

"A pleasure," Adrian said with a nod of his head. Studying the woman for a moment he spoke again with that same smile, "I do hope that I'm not the reason for your anxiety."

'_Way to hit the nail on its head_,' Audrey thought, but outwardly she lightly laughed it off, "Oh no, I uh," she collected herself and cleared her throat. "I'm just new to this sort of environment. The company I used to work for was a modest establishment down in Virginia. And before that, I worked by commission out of my home."

The multi-billionaire quirked a neat brow as the elevator sped past the twentieth floor, "By commission?" he questioned.

"I'm a sculptor," the woman explained, the barest hint of pride in her voice. The pride was easy to explain since she managed to support herself by doing what she loved, not by investing in a more 'stable' career like how her mother wanted. It was almost an immature sort of pride, but she felt it nonetheless. "At least most of the time, I think your people also mentioned something about a cartoon when they called me."

"Ah." There was that billion dollar smile again, "Yes, but I believe _that_ is still in the idea stages at the moment." He was pleased by the pride in her voice as it alluded to a level of confidence that comes from a self-made life… or perhaps he was reading into it too much. Possible. "You're here for the meeting with Mr. Winston then?" he guessed. The marketing head had sent him a memo about possibly developing an Ozymandias toy line and had said that he pulled together a group of artists to realize the idea.

The woman nodded as the elevator slowed and the door slid open to admit another pair of men. They greeted Adrian with an attitude that was so close to brown-nosing that Audrey just had to smile, unbothered by the fact that they basically ignored her. Settling to watch the building speed by as the elevator continued its trek upwards, she didn't notice her floor approaching until the car slowed to a stop and the door opened with a cheerful 'ding'. Slipping out of the car while Adrian politely disengaged from his conversation with the other two businessmen, Audrey paused, looking down both identical ends of the hallway. '_Crap._'

"Which room are you looking for?" Adrian asked, readjusting his cuffs as the elevator continued upwards behind him.

"Conference room three? Sorry, I was sort of expecting to find a map," Audrey admitted lamely. A young woman turned the corner and her high heels tapped urgently on the floor as she neared.

Adrian chuckled, "It's all right. And it's the sixth door down that way," he said, pointing towards the left.

"Mr. Veidt, I need a word," the younger woman announced as she brushed by Audrey with a distracted apology. "Angela Neuberg would like your opinion on the new Nostalgia ads," she finished, tone nervous and expectant, likely under stress by some sort of deadline.

Audrey chose this moment to bow out, suppressing her curiosity upon hearing the yet-to-be released product name, "Thank you. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Veidt."

"Likewise, Ms. Brigman," was his reply before his attention was claimed by the strung out business assistant.

Walking down the hallway, Audrey realized that she wasn't plagued by the nervousness she had from before. '_Makes sense_,' she thought, '_I met Adrian Veidt without screwing up, what sort of challenge could the marketing director pose?_' With this in mind the woman entered the conference room with a renewed confidence and hope that things would turn out all right.

* * *

Awesome! All right! Finished with this bit and back to the kitten in the next chapter :grins:

I love how easily these chapters are coming along :wiggles happily:

Anyone think I need more description? Like what people look like and stuff. Helpful critiques are lovely and wonderful and get you pointless digital Internet cookies. :D

I want to thank my readers/reviewers:

Soaringpheonix86 – Thanks so much! Your reviews always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy about how I'm doing this fic :huggle:

Detective Huckle & SilverGinkgo – Thanks for the compliments on my writing style, they really mean a lot :hug:

And to everyone else, don't feel left out that I didn't write your name in here (im not feeling well and don't feel up to typing in everyone's name :hangs head in shame: ), I am really grateful for every review. Thank you all .


	5. New Friend?

Woot! I got to the point in where I can actually know what I'm talking about… mostly .

All right, whatever, now that I got that out I thiiiink I'm gonna move on with the story -.-;

* * *

Daniel Dreiberg sighed heavily as he sat back into the faux-leather bench, '_How did I get rolled into this?_' he wondered, while looking around the waiting room. Cartoonishly happy animals stared out from the handful of pictures on the walls, their joy juxtaposed by advertisements for animal medication and pamphlets urging owners to neuter their pets. The contents of the cloth covered shoe-box in his lap nudged against his hand through the makeshift lid. Folding back the fabric Daniel gently rubbed the kitten's chin with his forefinger, conscious to avoid the tender spots of irritated skin on its neck. '_More importantly_,' "What am I going to do with you?" he asked the kitten with a half-smile.

The stray purred softly, flicking an ear up at his voice, tail twitching lazily from side to side.

Earlier that morning (after much deliberation) Dan had finally decided to attempt bathing the little stray. The kitten had taken to the warm water surprisingly well and actually seemed to genuinely enjoy the attention that it received from him. Yet, under the matted fur, dirt and who knows what else, Dan had felt a renewed sense of pity for the animal.

Of course its eye was his greatest concern, the lids were so swollen that it reminded Daniel of those odd telescope eyed goldfish he saw once at a pet store. But there was evidence of a dangerous young life in the small handful cuts and abrasions on the kitten's legs, back and sides. None of the injuries looked severe, but he was immensely surprised that the animal hadn't simply died from some sort of infection or exposure to the elements.

A rush of cold air from outside pulled the former masked hero from his memories as a woman and her basset hound entered the office. She greeted the receptionist warmly and was welcomed in kind; and from what Daniel was able to gather from their conversation they seemed to be either coworkers or old acquaintances. Daniel was never really one to eavesdrop, but since the only thing he had to occupy his time with was a half-starved, half-blind kitten, he couldn't really help it.

After signing in her dog, the woman went to select a seat. Now, the waiting room was vacant (save for Daniel and one other person reading an old magazine while he waited to be called) so there were plenty of places to wait, but the woman chose to sit a few feet away from Daniel on the same bench. He saw her glance his way, a tender sort of curiosity in her eyes as she covertly studied the kitten in his lap. '_Of course she wouldn't be looking at me_,' Daniel noted with a tad of bitterness. Sure, the woman wasn't terribly pretty, but she wasn't exactly plain either; he couldn't place it exactly, but thought that maybe the line of her jaw wasn't quite feminine enough or her nose was just not the exact right size for her face. When he caught her gaze an embarrassed flush rose to her cheeks and she smiled sheepishly, much like a kid caught looking at something they shouldn't.

"Sorry," she said, scratching behind the floppy ears of her hound dog. "Is he a stray?" she asked, obviously gesturing to the kitten.

Dan blinked, his mind taking half a second to respond properly, "Yeah, a uh, friend asked if I could bring it in for him." '_Basically. If waking a person up at three a.m. and throwing a cat at them constitutes as asking…_' he thought, not letting the disgruntled musing show on his face.

"Can I see him?" she asked, laughing softly to herself at the eager note in her own voice. "Sorry, I used to volunteer at a shelter. I've got a ridiculously soft spot for strays."

"Oh," he chuckled at her unrequested explanation, "Sure, I don't see why not." Daniel almost laughed outright at the degree of practically childlike joy that lit up the woman's face, but managed to contain himself.

The woman placed her hound's leash on the floor, and Daniel leaned forward a little to see that she was looping it around her shoe in order to free up both her hands. The dog looked up at Dan, saggy jowls open in an odd canine grin and his thick tail thumping happily in the tile floor. Edging a little closer to him the woman reached out her hand to allow the kitten to sniff her fingertips, eventually scooping it out of the box with a slow, practiced motion. "Oh goodness, you're just a pitiful little thing aren't you?" she asked it, glancing sidelong at Daniel. "Have you had him long?"

Dan shook his head, "No, my friend dropped it off at my house this morning." He fought to stay casual and nonchalant, but his limited experiences with women sort of made him a little nervous as she sat closer to him. '_Christ man, your pathetic_,' he chided himself.

She frowned a little at that, but seemed to forget her own disapproval when she looked back at the kitten again. "Pretty little piebald," she said softly. Dan noticed that her gentle pets were simple strokes as much as they were a sort of hands-on examination, feeling along the young cat's back and checking inside its ears.

"Piebald?" Daniel asked without thinking first.

The woman blinked at him, "Huh? Oh, black and white spotted cat. Or in this little," she paused, gently lifting the kitten up and turning it in her hands. "Ah, girl's case, white with black. Oh, you're all right," she cooed when the kitten keened softly.

"Oh, right," Daniel scratched he back of his neck, a nervous habit that he wasn't even aware that he had picked up just yet. "Wait, you can tell it's a girl?" She nodded and Daniel mentally smacked himself for not even bothering to check before, '_Well, idiot, it wouldn't have been that hard to figure out._'

"Yeah," she paused, "Oh jeez," the woman made a face of self-reproach, "I'm sorry, I never introduced myself, did I?" She laughed, gently tucking the kitten back into her shoebox carrier. Offering her hand she smiled, "I'm Audrey."

The man gave a half-smile and the two exchanged a polite handshake, "Daniel." Stroking the kitten with his thumb he cleared his throat, not sure of what else to say. '_Well, since we're still on the topic of pets…_' "So, uh, what's his name?" he asked, nodding to Audrey's dog.

The basset hound sat up when Audrey leaned down to retrieve the leash from the floor, and she patted the top of his head. "Brisco. He's my dad's and the laziest lump of fur you'd ever see," she said affectionately rubbing the base of the dog's ears. "Do you have any names for her?"

Dan chuckled, shaking his head a little, "No, haven't thought about it." He saw the next question in her pale blue eyes, "You have any ideas?"

The woman tilted her head a little, looking at the kitten for a moment, "I dunno… she sort of looks like a Diana to me."

"Really?" Dan chuckled, appraising the kitten with a raised brow. "Any reason?"

Audrey shook her head, "None at all," she then gave another light smile.

A young woman in navy blue scrubs poked her head into the waiting room, glancing down at the clipboard in her hand. "Mr. Dreiberg?" Seeing his head turn her way she nodded, "Doctor Harrison is ready to see you now."

"Oh, thank you," turning to Audrey he shook her hand again. "It was nice meeting you."

"Ditto, take care. I hope she gets better," Audrey said, petting the kitten's head one last time before Dan stood up.

Daniel glanced down at the pitiful little animal in the shoebox and his brow furrowed a bit in thought. Meeting the woman's eyes again he smiled, "I'll do what I can."

* * *

Okay, this is a slowly paced chapter and that's why it took me so long to write… even though it's so short . And there is a method to this madness, I swear! I do plan on Audrey befriending Dan before Rorschach cuz… it makes sense that way. If any person would actually go around socializing with Rorschach they'd need some sort of bridge to do so… also making Rory paranoid about a chick (who is obviously a threat to his ex-partner's safety and moral health simply because she's a woman) is just going to be fun to try to put to paper ^^

Tell me what you think I should have more of. I have five billion ideas in my head and am trying to write a coherent story with the jumbles, so please bear with me if the fic seems a little discombobulated… cuz it probably is.

I'll try to submit again soon, gotta keep this ball rolling!


	6. Coffee

Wow, I don't know why, but this was a challenge to get done.

Sorry for the ridiculous wait peeps, school has been a serious pain lately, you know how it is *shrug*

Okay, here's the chapter. In which Dan sorta blunders socially and Rorschach alludes to desires of human contact… yay!

* * *

Daniel sighed, rubbing a particular spot behind Diana's ear, smiling at the low purr that lilted through the quiet air of his living room. Glancing down at his watch, Dan stopped his petting and gently picked the kitten up, "Come on you." Diana simply purred happily, content with being tucked into the man's arm as he carried her into the kitchen.

It hadn't taken much for the animal to worm her way into Daniel's heart, and on some level he'd known that he would be keeping her since the very moment Rorschach had brought her to him. '_Just a sucker for hard cases, I suppose_,' he mused, thinking about his reclusive former partner. Grabbing a few items from the cabinet, Daniel sat down and set the kitten down on the table. She instantly knew what was coming next and meowed plaintively.

Daniel raised a brow at the pleading expression and chided her softly, "Don't give me that look." Gently taking her head in his hand, he opened her swollen eye a little wider with his thumb and forefinger, "This is for your own good." Ignoring the fact that the animal couldn't understand his words, only the tone of his voice, he gently applied the ointment to her eye. The kitten flicked her ears back a little, but generally remained still. All the while Daniel spoke in soft, soothing tones, stroking the kitten comfortingly as he gave her a few other pills and supplements that the veterinarian had prescribed.

Rubbing her throat to encourage her to swallow one last antibiotic pill, Dan scratched at the kitten's chin, "I'm getting better at this, huh?" In truth, the techniques to apply the animal's medication had been awkward at first, but Daniel was a fairly quick study. Under his care, as Daniel was quite proud to note, the bedraggled stray had undergone quite a transformation in the last couple of weeks. Her soft white-and-black fur was clean, her eyes were bright and she finally had enough weight to fill her twelve-week-old (or so the vet had estimated) frame quite nicely. Tapping his fingers on the table Daniel chuckled when the kitten playfully batted at the digits with her paw.

After a few minutes of play Daniel got up to put the medications away. While grabbing a small bag of cat treats from the cupboard he heard a soft sound, Diana had jumped down to the floor from the kitchen chair and was standing in the doorway to the hall. Her head was canted to the side and she was staring up the stairs, tail slowly swishing back and forth.

Noting her intent body language Daniel frowned, "What is it?" Pocketing the few treats he was holding in his hand, he carefully walked towards the staircase. At the foot of the stairs Daniel listened for anything unusual on the second floor and after several tense moments he allowed himself to relax. "There's nothing there, hun," he chuckled, but the kitten obviously seemed to sense something that he did not. Diana slipped past Daniel's heels and hopped up the stairs. Standing at the top step the kitten pricked her ears forward, tail erect and curved playfully. Daniel followed quietly, trying to avoid the points where the steps creaked and plucked the kitten up off the floor.

Standing in the second floor hall the former crimefighter was starting to feel a little silly, scaring himself for no reason, but the feeling was gradually overridden by the subtle sense of something being out of place. A prickle in the back of his neck, one that he first thought was caused by nerves, was actually due to a chill breeze flowing in from the direction of his half-open bedroom door.

"Hello, Daniel."

Dreiberg nearly leapt out of his skin at the rough voice, barely biting back the curse on his tongue when he recognized the speaker. "Rorschach?" He entered the room and automatically flipped on the light switch, illuminating the relatively short, but no less intimidating, figure standing in his bedroom. The vigilante was studying a newspaper clipping Dan had framed on the wall, detailing how Nite Owl and Rorschach had brought down the gangster Big Figure back in the 60's. "Uh, hey," Daniel ventured awkwardly, placing the kitten on his mattress and debated whether or not he should close the window.

A silence stretched between the two men, the vigilante failing to show any sign of the awkwardness or annoyance that Daniel was feeling. Diana hopped off her owner's bed and plodded confidently towards Rorschach, rubbing her head against his ankles and meowing up at him when he didn't respond immediately. The bold kitten even went as far as standing up on her hind legs and attempt to climb up the vigilante's pinstriped pant leg. Rorschach didn't seem to mind or even notice the kitten, but the animal's confidence gave Dan a little of his own, at least enough to ask, "What's going on?"

"Window wasn't locked. Unsafe."

Daniel blinked, "…okay?" He waited a bit for a further explanation, knowing the slim chances of receiving one. Needless to say, he wasn't disappointed. The retired crimefighter sighed, "Rorschach," he gestured with his hands, "What are you doing here?"

Still scanning the article, though Dan couldn't understand how he saw anything through that damned mask of his, Rorschach appeared to think before answering. "You live alone. Used to be partners. Thought you might like company."

Guilt promptly smacked Daniel in the back of the head, "That's not what I-" He wanted to amend his statement, to make it not sound like he didn't want the other man around, but felt the opportunity had passed.

Not appearing bothered or rejected in any way, despite the fact that reading emotional reactions out of the vigilante was practically impossible; Rorschach did finally acknowledge Diana's existence. By this time the kitten had managed to climb up to the bottom hem of his dirty trenchcoat, but Rorschach easily pried her tiny claws from his pant leg and placed her back on the floor. The piebald kitten rose up on her hind legs and batted the air, coming back to the floor with a demanding meow.

Dan couldn't suppress the chuckle that emerged from his throat as his cat demanded attention from one of the most feared individuals in the city.

Rorschach studied the kitten for a span, eventually crouching down to get a better look. Whatever thoughts going through his mind were concealed by the slowly shifting blots of his mask. After a pause Rorschach quickly patted the kitten on the head, as if to just appease its insisting behavior, and stood up. "You kept it," he stated at length with his characteristically even monotone.

Daniel nodded, "Yeah. Thought I could use the company." He half-smiled, trying to lighten the mood by using Rorschach's own words. Dan had seen the other's hesitation before touching the kitten, as if Rorschach had to consciously remind himself to control the force behind his palm. He had always known Rorschach as having a huge impulse control problem, and found it interesting that the man who beat the crap out of people every night could still be gentle.

Completely unaware of his former partner's thoughts, Rorschach responded with his well-known throaty 'Hurm' sound, then another extended pause, "Name?"

"Diana."

Rorschach gave another low, noncommittal grunt in reply, gloved hands in his pockets and posture set in a way that Dan knew he was waiting for something.

Daniel shook his head a little, folding his arms across his chest. "It is good to see you, man." He searched for his next words, "I see you in the paper sometimes, always wonder if I'm going to read your obituary one morning." He mentally smacked himself, '_Oh, great move Dan, really optimistic._'

Rorschach made a derisive snort and turned towards the open window, "Don't worry about me."

"Can't help it," Dan shrugged, again attempting a smile.

Rorschach paused with his hand on the window frame, "You could," he muttered, not looking back at Dan.

'_Not this again_,' he groaned inwardly, picking up on the veiled meaning in the vigilante's words. "No. I can't," Daniel said firmly. "We've gone through this already."

The vigilante shrugged indifferently and placed a foot on the ledge, "Your choice." Then he was gone.

Daniel sunk down onto the edge of his mattress, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. '_Why does he do this? Every time he breaks in here, it's either to steal my food or make me feel bad for retiring._' The former Nite Owl tried to ignore that five-year old memory. Tried to forget the disappointment he had heard in his friend's voice that night. '_I would love to pick up my cowl again, and he knows it. I just… I don't have what it takes anymore._' With that depressing thought ringing in his head Dan gave a frustrated groan and shivered a little. Closing the window he glanced around the room for the kitten, "Come on, Di. Time for dinner."

No reply and no sign of the kitten. Looking under the bed and glancing out into the hall he called her again with the same result. A lurking sort of panic started to creep up from the base of his spine and he looked back at the window that Rorschach had exited from, "Oh no."

* * *

A few blocks away from Daniel's house, Rorschach was patrolling through the alleyways and mulling over his recent meeting with the former Nite Owl. '_Cares about the cat. In much better shape now. If only owner could make that sort of change._' He could easily see the care that Daniel had given the animal, but wasn't sure how or what he felt about it. Was he personally concerned about the animal? Did he care that Daniel seemed more attached to the stray than his former partner? Stubbornly squashing the mixed emotions he turned at a familiar sound. Diana trotted towards him, appearing very pleased with herself. Rorschach looked down at the kitten, not sure whether to be annoyed or not, "Following me? …Not wise." A shout down the alley pulled his attention from the cat and Rorschach went to investigate, trying to ignore the young animal trailing at his heels.

* * *

Daniel finally returned to his town house, cursing his luck and his lack of attentiveness. An hour of searching the block, after completely scouring the house, Dan finally accepted the fact that the kitten was lost. '_Maybe she is with Rorschach, but then how the hell did she get out the window?_' he wondered. He rubbed his face with his palms, "Damnit," he grumbled, trudging into the kitchen.

To say that the man was upset would be an understatement; Daniel didn't remember feeling this bad since his parakeet, Garuda, died back when he was just a kid. Sitting at the table in silence, lost in his thoughts, Daniel didn't notice the knock at his door at first. Eventually pulled from his reverie he sighed bitterly, trudging back out to the hall, "Who is it?"

The reply that came was muffled from behind the door, but the man could still decipher a female voice, "Are you Daniel Dreiberg?"

"Yes?" he opened the door a little, to find a woman in a heavy coat standing on the front step and holding a white and black bundle of fur securely in her arms. "Diana?!"

The woman laughed jovially at the outburst, while the kitten glanced up at her distraught owner innocently. "I take it she is yours then?"

Relief almost made Daniel weak at the knees and he nodded fervently, "Yes, thank you, I have no idea how she got out." The statement was at least mostly true.

Handing the kitten over to the man, Audrey smiled, "You're lucky she was wearing a collar or I may have just kept her for myself," she joked, reaching across the threshold to scratch the kitten's ear.

"She is a sweet little thing," he agreed with a nod, noticing how the woman's face was flushed from the cold. "Would you like some coffee? You look half-frozen."

Stopping her head in mid-shake the woman considered the offer for a moment, studying his face as if trying to remember something. "I'd love one" she smiled.

Admitting her into the house Daniel took the woman's coat and was mildly surprised by the weight of the thing as he hung it on the rack. His guest glanced around the room for a second before suddenly clapping her hands together, "I got it!" she announced triumphantly.

Daniel looked at her oddly, "Excuse me?"

She chuckled, "Sorry, I just knew I recognized your face." Seeing the man's confusion she elaborated, "We met at the vet office on forty-third about two weeks ago. You were bringing her in," she gestured to the kitten with a soft smile.

It clicked after a moment, "Oh!" Her dark brown hair was loose now, so he hadn't recognized her at first, but he did remember her. "Uh, Abby, right?"

The woman chuckled lightly, "It's Audrey."

"Oh, sorry," he paused, "Uh, how about that coffee?" He walked into the kitchen and started the machine.

Audrey followed him at a polite distance and sat at the table, twiddling her thumbs and looking around the kitchen as if searching for a conversation topic. '_Guy really likes birds_,' she noted with a smile, thinking the concept was endearing. "She looks great, you've done a really good job with her," she attempted, again elaborating upon receiving the same confused eyes and raised brow from the man. "The kitten."

"Oh, yeah. I, uh, got lucky with that actually."

"How so?"

He scratched his neck a little, slightly uncomfortable with the level of curious attention in the woman's light blue eyes. "Di wasn't really as bad as she looked. Malnourished, a few fleas, scratched up and all that, but aside from her eye she was actually relatively healthy."

"Lucky little girl."

Dan looked back at the table, finding Audrey leaning down to pet the kitten who happily soaked up the attention. He smiled at that, finally relaxing a little. Grabbing two mugs from the cupboard he asked, "Where'd you find her?"

"Down on Thirty-eighth Street. I was taking a shortcut to my apartment and saw her in an abandoned lot." Audrey pulled the kitten up onto her lap and stroked Diana's back, "I still don't know what the heck you were doing out there," she said to the kitten in a mildly 'baby-talk' tone.

"You took quite a detour coming here," he said. '_Thirty-eighth? I think that's part of one of Rorschach's patrols… Did this crazy little cat seriously follow him all the way out there?_' Shaking the thoughts away he pulled out the pot, "How do you take your coffee?"

"Black and it was no trouble," she assured him with a smile. "I could always use the extra exercise." At that she casually patted her stomach.

That last note struck Daniel as a little odd, personally finding the woman to be of a reasonably healthy build, even with her very small paunch of stubborn belly fat. The fitted cut of her turtleneck sweater clung to a strong set of shoulders and stretched across her moderately proportioned bust, yet not in a away that was intended to be attention grabbing. The confidence and physical strength he could see was something that any former vigilante could appreciate and admire. Keeping his personal appraisal to himself, Dan simply nodded as he handed her a mug of coffee and turned back to fix his own. "So, what do you do?" he asked and sat down across from Audrey.

"Whatever I can actually. I'm a sculptor, but I usually have to get work were I can."

"Jobs are that hard to come by?" Daniel inquired.

Audrey shrugged, "There are good and bad times, but it keeps my life interesting. Statues aren't always in high demand, but I'm actually designing toys at the moment." She took a sip of her coffee, looking at him over the rim of her mug, "What about you?"

"Uh, I don't really work," Daniel admitted, oddly expecting some sort of disapproval. Audrey only tilted her head a little, expression questioning. He cleared his throat, "I'm an engineer of sorts, but I actually spend a lot of my time writing ornithological papers."

"Orni-tho-logical?" Audrey half-smiled, stumbled a little over the unfamiliar word.

"Uh, birds."

She laughed lightly at this, a genuine and friendly sound, "I should have guessed."

Flushing a little he looked down into his mug, "Yeah, it's silly."

"No, no, no. I think it's sweet," again that same soft smile. "Most men I've known were into sports, it's refreshing to find something different." She took another mouthful of coffee, appearing to enjoy the strong, bitter flavor. "Have you ever thought about teaching? You strike me as the scholarly," she waved her hand vaguely, trying to find the right word, "uh, professorial type."

Daniel shook his head, "Tried to once." He grimaced faintly at the memory, "It didn't quite work out." '_Yeah. Big, tough vigilante who beat up criminals for over a decade couldn't handle a group of college kids._' Neither spoke for a few moments while Dan continued down a similar line of quiet criticisms. "Sorry," he smiled wanly, "I've never been very good at small talk."

Audrey chuckled, having already guessed that fact, "Don't apologize. We can go into an in-depth psychological debate, if that would make you feel more comfortable," she offered with a teasing smile.

The suggestion pulled a laugh from the man, "I don't think we'll need to resort to that."

Audrey lifted her brows questioningly, her mouth holding a jovial quirk. "Are you sure? Because the human condition is my personal favorite for pointless lets-not-actually-get-anywhere debates." Shrugging in acquiescence to Daniel's shaking head, she then gestured to a thin book on the counter, "What's that?"

"What?" Following her eyes Daniel groaned a little in annoyance, getting up to retrieve the object.

Spotting the bright yellow cover of the 'Curious George' book Audrey tilted her head. "Some light reading, Mr. Scholar?" she teased.

Daniel threw her a look, but was amused by how laid-back the woman was while sitting in a stranger's home. "No, it's my nephew's," he explained, sitting back down. "My sister and her family popped in for an early Thanksgiving dinner a few nights ago."

"Why?"

"Her husband got offered a new job, so they're all moving down to DC." Daniel waved his hand vaguely, "Some political PR thing, I'm not exactly sure."

Audrey nodded, "How old is your nephew?"

"He just turned seven."

"Really? My little brother is about that age." She smiled at Daniel's mildly perplexed expression, reminding herself that usually people her age had children, not siblings, who were that old. "My father adopted him, since my stepmother can't conceive," she explained.

"Oh," Daniel paused for a moment. "Do you have any children?" he asked, without really thinking first, and instantly regretted the question. Having a partner like Rorschach for so long had practically made Daniel an expert at reading other people's body language, so he saw the very subtle somber shift in Audrey's demeanor.

Audrey cleared her throat, "None yet, maybe someday." Her smile didn't hold the same level of lightheartedness that she'd had before and Daniel felt like a villain for causing the change. She glanced over at the plastic owl clock on the wall, "I should probably go. I've taken up enough of your time as it is." She gently placed Diana on the floor, the kitten giving a soft cry in protest, and got up from her seat, "Thanks for the coffee."

Daniel mentally slapped himself, '_This is why you could never hold down a girlfriend. You either bore them to death, scare them off or make them cry. Idiot._' "I didn't mean- Did I offend you in someway?" he stammered.

She shook her head, "You didn't do anything wrong." Audrey took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "Old wounds," she added with a casual shrug.

'_Shit_,' "I'm sorry," he said awkwardly.

"Don't be," Audrey chuckled, her smile a little less subdued.

Daniel sighed in defeat, "I'll walk you out," he offered. Helping Audrey into her coat, Daniel stuffed his hands into his pockets as she knelt down to pet Diana one last time.

"You stay off the streets, okay sweetie?" The kitten answered with a purr. Standing in front of Dan for a moment she smiled, "I- This was nice." Audrey chuckled lightly, thinking that the man's timid smile was endearing she asked, "Would you like to get lunch tomorrow?"

Daniel blinked, "I-uh," he cleared his throat. "Yeah, sure. Thank you." He couldn't think of any reason behind her invitation, but he wasn't going to reject the opportunity to talk with her again. '_I'm always saying that I need to socialize more_,' he reminded himself.

Audrey smiled happily, "There's a new diner down on fortieth. The Gunga? How about I meet you there at noon?"

"Sounds like a plan," he nodded. The two of them exchanged goodbyes and Audrey left. Closing the door, Daniel exhaled heavily. "Well, that went well," he muttered wryly. Looking down at Diana he chuckled, "Somehow I think you planned this." The kitten 'mrow'd in an interestingly noncommittal tone and walked off towards the kitchen, leaving her master with his thoughts.

* * *

Dear god in heaven!! This chapter just wouldn't bloody end!! Eight. Freakin'. Pages!!!! With school getting in the way and me constantly hitting snags in the writing process, this was a chapter that really just didn't WANT to be finished.

I'm so sorry for the ridiculous wait and then just giving a really dialogue heavy chapter with so little Rorschach. :sigh: There's going to be more Ror in the next bit (and some actual story progression too), I just needed to establish a foundation for the Audrey-and-Dan-being-friends-thing. Oh if anyone thinks that Audrey's attitude is overly confident, well that really is just her character. If you really think about it, Dan seems harmless and really doesn't look/act like a guy that any woman would need to be cautious around. :shrug: Just my opinion and I'm so DONE with this chapter that I don't think I'll be revising it .

I'm going to sleep now. Please Review, cuz I'll love you if you do :flops over and dies:


	7. Friendly Visit

A note for this chapter, I'm not exactly 100% sure how I'm going to be writing Rorschach/Walter in this fic. Soooo, if anyone notices changes in how he talk/thinks, that's just me struggling to properly express his character . Bear with me please, I don't do this for a living, so I'm not all that good at it ^^;;;;

Also, here's a warning, there will be a bit of drama in this bit... but life is a drama soooo that shouldn't be too unexpected.

On with the show!!

* * *

Walter Kovacs stood at the corner, the wooden post of his sign resting on his hip as he watched Daniel and his new… _companion_ exit the diner. The woman was gesturing animatedly to the man, as if trying to convince him of a particular point, while Daniel just smiled compliantly. Something he said earned him a light punch on the shoulder and Walter stiffened at the playful action. Anger quickened his heart, but he kept his expression bland and disinterested, a perfect mask.

A relatively uneventful night had left Rorschach little else to do than follow the whore when she took Daniel's cat off of the street. The vigilante was not sure, nor did he dwell on, the reasons behind his grudging level of attachment to the animal, but he did understand the potential threat that the woman posed to his former partner's well being. Nite Owl had grown soft during his retirement and so he didn't wholly blame the man for not seeing the insincerity in her smiles or the deception in her supposedly innocent touches.

'_Have to warn him,' _he decided. _'Can't protect himself from this city… so I'll have to do it for him.'_

_

* * *

_

"I'm telling you, there's no way," Dan laughed.

Audrey chuckled, pinching the bridge of her nose with a defeated shake of her head, "Fine, fine, but will you read the book at least?"

He raised a brow, "Is there any chance that I can say no and you'll just drop it?" He smiled, knowing the probable answer.

"Absolutely none," Audrey smiled.

Daniel sighed in mock despair, "Then I have no choice." Audrey laughed and he felt happy for eliciting the light-hearted sound, as he still harbored a lingering sense of guilt for unwittingly depressing the woman the night before.

Reaching the other side of the street, the pair turned when someone called Audrey by name. Daniel looked around in momentary confusion, but the woman instantly identified the source and gently tugged the man's coat sleeve in direction of the newsstand. Daniel hung back a little as the woman embraced the newsvendor.

"I thought you said that you weren't working today," Audrey stated when she detached from her uncle.

Bernard shrugged, eyeing Daniel curiously, "Ah, the new guy got sick," he dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand and nodded to Daniel. "Who's this? New boyfriend?" the older man smiled teasingly.

Audrey lightly cuffed Bernard on the shoulder before Dan had a chance to reply, "No, he's a friend." She beckoned Daniel closer, "This is Daniel Dreiberg. Dan, this is my Uncle Bernard."

The two men shook hands, Bernard quietly approving of the other man's firm grip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Dan nodded.

"Likewise, Mr. National Geographic," Bernard grinned.

Daniel chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, Audrey raised a brow with the expression of someone who was amused, but was still left a little out of the loop.

Bernard shrugged, pointing at Dan with his thumb. "This guy comes down at the first of every month, to grab a National Geographic and a pack of chewing sugar." Daniel gave Audrey an embarrassed smiled when the newsvendor added jovially, "Like _clock_work." Audrey chuckled lightly, not finding this strange, or even very surprising, given what she had gathered in the little time that she had spent around the man. Bernard's amiable attitude shifted suddenly, "Speakin' of clockwork," he muttered, turning to unclip a newsmagazine hanging on the side of the stand.

Daniel and Audrey looked to see a grungy-looking man walking towards them, supporting an equally dirty sign on his shoulder. Audrey blinked, remembering this same redheaded drifter from a few weeks before, and an instinctive sort of chill started creeping down her spine. His eyes were a surprisingly bright shade of blue, but the dangerously intense look that he was giving her kept the artist from appreciating it. Audrey found that looking in this guy's eyes was almost like staring down a mean dog in a dark alley, but if you broke the contact (no matter how much you might want too) you'd risk showing weakness… and having the dog rip your throat out. Before her sudden apprehension could escalate to something stronger, the man broke his stare and turned to her uncle.

The newsvendor held out the magazine with a friendly smile on his face. "Here's your New Frontiersman, got 'em fresh off the truck this morning."

The doomsayer didn't answer the smile, just dug into his pocket for some change and paid for the magazine. "You'll save the next one." It was hard to determine whether his statement was a command or a question, giving the lack of inflection in his speech.

Bernard nodded, the friendliness in his expression wilting a little under the intensity in his regular customer's stare. "Sure, like always."

Turning without a word, he tucked the magazine into the pocket of his coat and walked away, not looking at either Daniel or Audrey as he passed them. When he had walked far enough down the sidewalk Bernard leaned heavily against his stand, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Wow", Dan muttered, looking down the sidewalk where the shorter man had gone. "Is he _always_ like that?"

Bernard nodded, rubbing his jaw, "Pretty much." He muttered lowly with a shake of his head, "Creepy little vagrant."

Daniel chuckled at that, hoping to slough off the discomfort left behind by the eerie individual, and looked over at Audrey. He frowned, "Hey, are you all right?"

The woman shook herself, "Yeah, I think so." She couldn't quite shake off the uneasiness that the redhead had inspired in her. Checking her watch she smiled up at Dan, a particular type that he was beginning to think was more a mask to reassure others than her usual, genuinely happy expression. "It's getting late, I should get back home. I have a finish the mock-up for my presentation on Tuesday."

Dan frowned, not believing her assurances, "I'll walk you," he offered.

Audrey shook her head, "I'll be fine, your place is in the completely other direction, Dan." She smiled, "Thanks for the offer though," and gave him a quick hug. Daniel hesitated and couldn't react fast enough to hug her back. She gave her uncle a goodbye hug and a kiss on the cheek, "I'll see you on Thursday."

"Only if you're making your Aunt's thanksgiving pie," he answered with a half-smile.

Audrey smiled, "I always do." She waved and started down the sidewalk.

Bernard stuffed his hands into the pockets of his coat, glancing sidelong at Dan, "She tries every year, but it never quite tastes like it did when my wife made it." A half-smile, "But she keeps trying."

"I can imagine," Dan couldn't glean any hidden meaning behind the statement, if there was any to start with.

The newsvendor studied the retired vigilante for a few moments. "I never had any kids of my own," he stated at length, holding Dan's puzzled eyes with his own. "So, understand me when I say that I think of Audrey as a daughter."

Daniel understood his meaning at that point, "Sir, I have absolutely no intention of hurting her." He hadn't even been aware that he had _any_ intentions to speak of… he had only _really_ met the woman the night before.

"And I think I can believe you," Bernard smacked Dan lightly on the arm with a smile.

After an awkward pause, Dan finally excused himself and started his own trek home. Going over the relationship he was _apparently_ starting to build with this woman, he shook his head, _'Too fast, I'm taking this too fast.'_

* * *

_Rorschach's Journal, November 20, 1982_

…

Rorschach closed the tattered book with a frustrated snap, after staring at the empty page for nearly fifteen minutes he admitted to himself that nothing was coming. "Mind isn't clear," he murmured, carefully slipping his pencil into the book's binding and tucking the journal into the inside pocket of his coat. Listening to the sounds of the city from his vantage point on an apartment building roof he frowned, the blots of his mask shifting slowly due to the stillness of the expression beneath. Walter hadn't been able to follow the whore in order to find out where she lived, so Rorschach was left to wait until some opportunity arose that would allow him to actually investigate this _woman's_ intentions. All that he had were assumptions and theories, but what he_ needed_ was facts. Daniel wouldn't believe him unless he gave him facts that the whore was dangerous.

A soft crash from below caught the vigilante's attention. Hopping down from the inactive cooling vent, he walked to the edge of the roof and listened. Looking around he spotted a particular figure pass by a window in the building across the alley. "_Sometimes the night is generous…_" he thought, satisfied with his luck. Memorizing the exact location of the window, he left to continue his patrol of the city.

* * *

Audrey simultaneously yelped in surprise and cursed her own stupidity when the collection of books and videotapes she had stacked against the wall started to topple over. Jumping over her coffee table she managed to stop _most_ of the videotapes from crashing to the floor, but she did manage to knock over her coat-tree in her rush to get to the other side of the room. Audrey winced at the sharp crash when the heavy wood hit the floor. "That's what I get," she sighed, sitting for a moment with the weight of at least forty pounds of literature pressing onto her legs and her arms full of the various tapes and magazines from the top half of the pile. Leaning to the side she eased the stack into a more controlled fall to spill easily over the floor, and stood up. "I think I handled that pretty well," she remarked to herself. Gathering up an armful of books she carried them across the living room and started arranging them on the bookshelf.

Her small two-bedroom apartment wasn't the greatest, but it was clean and the landlord was a reasonably likeable older gentleman. Continuing to finish clearing up the mass of items from her floor, Audrey paused, the hairs on the back of her neck starting to stand on end. She looked around the room, turning down the little stereo she had playing and listened cautiously. She was sure that there wasn't anyone in her apartment, but she couldn't help the feeling of being watched. Spotting her living room window she lightly smacked herself in the forehead, "Idiot." Making sure the window was locked; she closed the blinds and continued putting her things away.

Turning the stereo back up a little she broke into a box of photographs. Willingly taking a trip down memory lane she went about arranging her family and friends around the apartment. Her father's police academy photo went next to her little sister's high school graduation portrait; she remembered how much Morgan had stressed that morning. Running around the house, frantically searching for her shoes, then her hairbrush, her school ID, the list went on and on. Audrey smiled sadly, stroking her thumb across the glass over her sister's face. She remembered the girl's affinity for science and how she would get excited over just about anything ranging from obscure bits of Doctor Manhattan technology to the pink-orange color of the sky in the late afternoon.

Uncle Bernard and her late Aunt Rose, with their golden retriever, Domino, happily wedged between them, went near the small series of photos she had of Kyle. Bernard had gotten Rose that dog the first Christmas they were living together, named for how the exuberant animal had a tendency to knock anything and everything over. Audrey had made a promise to never forget that woman's smile and how the room would simply _light up_ when she was there.

Sometime later, after organizing and rearranging the photographs about three times, and giving up on finding a good place for her handful of certificates for the kickboxing classes and the _one_ competition she took place in during college, she neared the bottom of the box. Audrey hesitated when she felt the curve of an all too familiar frame. Her eyes threatened to blur a little, but she managed to keep the tears down as she drew the picture out. A younger collegiate version of herself smiled back at her, her own arms strung around the shoulders of a wiry young man only two years older than she was. His short straw colored hair was mussed, as it always was, his dark brown eyes bright and affable. A bruise was starting to appear on his forehead where he'd smacked it on the frame of the car door. She could still remember that day so clearly, even though it was over fifteen years ago, she could still feel the sun beating warmly on her neck as she held him, feel the bristles on his jaw scratch softly against her cheek. She could still recall how the summer air smelled faintly of honeysuckle, the broken beams of light streaming onto the hiking trail through the dense treetops, and especially how he constantly kept going off trail to track and grab some small lizard or insect to present to her. Audrey smiled at the memory, and to this day she still couldn't figure out how he managed to find that corn snake, but the faces they had gotten from a few other few hikers was well worth it. An older couple had taken this picture before they had started the trail and at the end of it-

Audrey put the photo facedown on the table. Sitting on the floor of her apartment she hugged her knees up to her chest, suddenly feeling very alone. Burrowing her face in her knees she forced herself to keep it together. "It was eight years ago," she growled to herself, her voice muffled behind her knees. "_Eight_ _years_… I thought I was over this…" she hugged her knees tighter. After an undetermined stretch of time, Audrey lifted her head and looked over at the clock on her VCR. She was tired and _knowing_ that it was nearly one in the morning didn't help at all. Getting to her feet she traced the back of the frame with her fingertips, but left it where it was. Leaning against the wall in the hallway she laid a hand on her belly, just bellow the waist of her pants, and though she couldn't feel it through the fabric of her sweats she still knew the scar was there. A reminder that hit her every morning with what she lost. Shutting out those thoughts and memories she knocked her clenched fist against the wall, unwilling to succumb to that heartache again. The touch of her anger, anger for what had been taken away from her, for the sheer unfairness of it all, helped to burn through her sorrow and to clear her mind.

Gradually calming herself, Audrey continued down to her bedroom, turning off lights as she passed them. Climbing into her bed she sighed heavily, while some floors up a dog barked, Audrey fixed her focus on that sound. An idea worked its way into her head and as her mind started to drift towards sleep, the more and more her partially awake mind started to agree with the idea. _'I need a dog.'_

* * *

Rorschach spared a glanced down at his watch, dawn was still a few hours off, so he had plenty of time to start his investigation. A sharp wind blew over the rooftops, channeled through the alleyways below to buffet the late night crowds of people milling around the city that never slept. Rorschach flipped his collar up, the only sign showing that he noticed the cold, much less that it actually affected him.

Stepping up onto the railing of the balcony he launched himself across the alleyway, coming down at a crouch on the adjacent fire escape. The old metal grating rattled at his landing, the vigilante pressed himself against the wall, waiting and listening to find if his arrival had alerted anyone within. After a minute or so he crept towards the window, not even attempting to force it open, since the sound would undoubtedly alert the woman inside and he wanted to conduct his investigation unhindered. Taking out his tools he studied the window for a few moments until he found what he was looking for, there was a small gap between glass and wood in one of the windowpanes. Someone had plugged the gap with caulk, but that was pushed out of the way easily enough. Sticking one of his lock-picking rods through the gap Rorschach pushed the window latch from the outside until the catch wedged open. Pocketing his tools he carefully eased the window open and slipped inside, closing the window closed behind him.

Standing in the unlit living space Rorschach quickly assessed the area as he adjusted to the lack of available light, noting the half-empty boxes pushed up against the wall and the stack of videotapes on the coffee table, he walked a slow circuit around the room. Rorschach frowned, the black fluid in his mask shifting accordingly, opening one of the untouched boxes he only found a harmless load of cookware stored within it. He stubbornly clung to his conviction that something was wrong he picked up the facedown photograph on the table. Studying the smiling pair for a few moments, he put the photo back, feeling dissatisfied. For the first time in his career the vigilante felt like an intruder, not an investigator, but the feeling only lasted a short moment if really at all.

Stepping on a weak floorboard Rorschach tensed, the soft creak sounding ridiculously loud in the silence of the apartment. Listening in the dark he relaxed and turned his attention to a wire bound book lying on a short table by the hallway. Flipping the book open he was greeted with a sketch of the Comedian next to what was best described as a character study with notes elaborating on specific details of his costume. Thumbing further he found other pages with similar studies of all of the Watchmen, even of himself. For whatever reason, the woman had guessed at what he wore beneath his coat, a handful of concepts led to him in a purple pinstriped vest that matched his customary pants, over a white dress-shirt. There was a note on that page that was a reminder to get a sample of the fabric that his mask was made from to study. Focus had not been placed on him however, the Nite Owl was analyzed in a similar way, Silk Spectre in particular had several revisions with a supposed desire to be more 'child-friendly'.

The sketchbook and the manila folder beneath it were all issued by Veidt industries. Had Adrian told this woman who Daniel was? Unlikely. Or had she somehow discovered the connection on her own? It was too much of a coincidence for her to be employed by Ozymandias and be _involved_ with the former Nite Owl at the same time. Turning another page, Rorschach found at least a dozen newspaper clippings with articles about him. Unfortunately Rorschach had no chance to dwell further no his suspicions as the lamps in the room suddenly came to life and pain exploded in the back of his skull, and _this _pain wasn't from the sudden influx of light. Something very solid had hit him in the head and the force of the impact, coupled with his momentary blindness, sent him stumbling back a few steps.

Audrey raised the baseball bat, ready to strike again, and feeling pleased with how her first hit had sent the man staggering backwards. A moment later, when the intruder recovered and she recognized him for whom he _really_ was, any pride or confidence she had was abruptly brushed aside. "Fuck!" she barely had any time to clumsily dodge away from Rorschach's charge, dropping her "weapon" in the process and scrambling to get her furniture between her and the irate vigilante.

Rorschach stood in her hallway, gloved hands clenched, shoulders tight, and a tangible amount of hardly restrained fury washing off of him. Audrey was behind her old armchair, trying to think of _something_ to do, _'He's going to kill me!'_ she thought frantically. "L-look," she tried, "I didn't mean to hit you." A part of herself was sickened with how much her voice was shaking, but that same part refused to lend her the strength she needed to call up a shroud of bravado that she usually hid behind.

His mask swirled and shifted chaotically, "Doubt that," Rorschach growled and lunged at her. She tried to run again, but Rorschach caught her by the shoulder and tackled her to the floor. His head was pounding from being hit by that baseball bat and her struggling was only serving to frustrate and aggravate him further. "Hold still," he said in the same rough tone he used on thugs and criminals, and (surprisingly) she obeyed.

Audrey felt her heart beating a mile a minute and she was in several levels of pain. Ranging from where her head hit the floor, to where the man's knee was digging hard into the muscle on top of her thigh. One of his hands was clasped over her mouth and the other was pressed sharply into a pressure point on her shoulder. Through the discomfort, terror and pain she tried to understand what he wanted. The first thought that entered her head was of course the least likely, _'Why the hell would be break in here just to rape me?!'_

"What is your connection to Adrian Veidt?" Rorschach demanded, shifting his hand from her mouth and down to her throat, placing just enough pressure to be noticed, but not enough to block her windpipe… yet.

Audrey blinked, breathing heavily to keep pace with her heart as she fought to keep her hysteria down to a manageable level. "I work for h-him. Please, I'm just a toy designer," she stammered. Audrey knew that Rorschach worked with Veidt for a time back when they were both Crimebusters, that was fairly common knowledge, but it didn't explain in the slightest why the vigilante was in her home. "What do you want with me?" she choked out, wishing that the question hadn't made her sound so feeble. And not only was this man's presence terrifying her, he smelled about as nice as an old, unwashed gym bag.

Several moments passed where Rorschach simply kept the woman pinned to the floor, honestly debating whether or not he should just kill her. He grimaced at the thought, she may be a woman, but he had no concrete reason to get rid of her… Letting out an irritated growl he released her and stood up, he would have been amused by how frantically she scrambled to get away from him if he was capable of the sentiment.

Catching her breath, Audrey tried hard to get some control over herself, but she simply couldn't stop how hard her hands were shaking. Clenching her jaw she pulled on her confusion and frustration to form a tenuous ball of anger that she could cling to. "Why are you here, Rorschach?" she barked, "I haven't done anything wrong."

The vigilante seemed to think over her words for a moment, "Not yet maybe." He stepped closer to her and Audrey dropped her figurative ball, shrinking behind the couch a little. This was before she realized that he was just walking past her and towards the window. He pulled the blinds aside and jerked the window open, "When you do," he said, his rough voice low and dangerous, "I'll be back." With that he climbed out of the window and back into the city.

It took a long while for Audrey to calm down enough for her legs to carry her again. Grabbing her discarded baseball bat en route to the window, she hesitantly checked around outside the window and then quickly retreated back and slammed the pane shut. The next few minutes she was scrambling around her apartment, grabbing a handful of wood pieces she'd found in one of her moving boxes, a roll of twine and some duct tape. Wedging the wood into the tracks of the window frame she jammed it shut and then she wound twine and duct tape around the window latch until she was completely satisfied. She knew that wouldn't stop Rorschach if he was really planning to make good on his warning, but it made her feel a _little_ better.

Backing away from the window Audrey fell back onto her couch, keeping her hands tightened into fists until they decided to stop shaking so badly. Taking a deep, shuddering sigh she pulled a blanket off the back of her couch and curled up on the cushions. With all the lights still shining brightly, and her window barricaded she tried to go back to sleep.

"That's it… I am _definitely _getting a dog."

* * *

Yep, this story is still plugging along. . I really shouldn't be writing it actually... I have finals to study for, but this was just one of those things that demanded to get finished once I started with it :shrug:

In other news, I think that I'm really starting to_ find_ Audrey's character; she's becoming more defined in my mind with each chapter that I get down… It's a wonder what having a family history will do... No matter how vaguely I write it down for you guys ^^; And I'm also pretty surprised with how mean I am to her o.0 She's got at least two very close family members that died before she was thirty. Funny thing is, I'm not sure whether I did this to her or if this is just her character and how she was suppose to be… Yeah, I'm one of those wierdos that think characters write themselves and sorta have a mind of their own . I admit it…

And yeah you know it's a problem when someone uses anger as a coping mechanism XD It works for her though :grins:

Enjoy and hope I don't fail my finals!! :waves:


	8. NOTICE

Heya Peeps, just a little notice.

I went through and edited all the previous chapters. Mostly just simple grammatical stuff that was bothering me, but I added/edited a few lines in the first few chapters so... yeah :shrug:

Just keeping you posted ^^

Expect the next chapter in about a week or so :waves:


	9. A Rainy Day

Yay! Bonding time!!

Um, I really need to get the ball rolling on this, but I think I'm finally about done with the 'establishing people' stage of the story… Wow it has only taken me eight bloody chapters to do so XC

This is actually quite a step for me, I have _never_ gotten this far in a fanfiction before. Normally my attempts die at around the third chapter :sigh: Maybe it's this comic… it is "deeper" than any other series I've tried my hand at before :shrug:

Um, however, I personally think that this chapter is sort of a lesser quality than my previous ones, but not for lack of trying. It took so long to get this chapter up, cuz I kept rewriting the damned thing from scratch . So now I have about six pages that I'm just going to stick with :sigh:

Whatever, you guys don't want my commentary ^^;

Tally ho! and all that jazz ^_^

* * *

Four Months Later

_Rorschach's Journal, March 16, 1983_

_Heavy rain tonight. Washing away the filth of this city. No point. The vermin will crawl back out from the drains and spread again. Like a plague upon humanity and I its only defense._

_Woman still visits Daniel, has a dog now. Large. Fighting breed. Sign of guilt. Fear. Trying to deter my investigation._

_Works in one of Veidt's studios. Nothing but the tools of soft, liberal artists trying to squeeze a dollar out of the __idea__ of heroes. An idea that the public won't allow to exist in the actual world. Warping the meaning for a profit…_

_Tried warning Daniel, wouldn't listen. Sti-_

Rorschach looked over his shoulder, laying his pencil down for a moment. He could feel something rubbing against his lower back and even through the rain beating down on the vinyl awning over his head, he could still hear Diana's deep, throaty purr. Giving a short grunt he tried to ignore the cat for a few moments, attempting to continue writing on his previous train of thought, but the cat moved around to rub her head against his side and forearm.

His irritated grumble did not deter the animal any more than his disregard had, yet she did utter a soft, plaintive sound, as if hurt by his lack of response. Against his better judgment, and even before he was really thinking about the action, Rorschach was absently rubbing the young cat's chin with a gloved knuckle. "Trouble," he grunted. Whether the cat _caused_ or simply _was_ trouble for him was unclear, but he at least tolerated the animal's presence and her trailing behind him on most nights. Nudging the cat off of his knee, he tucked his journal back inside his coat and stood. Diana leaned against his leg for a moment before moving to the edge of the balcony and disappearing down the stairwell.

Content with being alone once more, Rorschach made his way back down to the city floor, turning his coat against the downpour. He had mixed feelings about nights like this, the rain and cold drove a large portion of the filth from the streets, but that just made them harder to find as they retreated down into basements and warehouses to conduct their ill deeds. A familiar weight dropped onto his shoulders from some windowsill or awning overhead and Rorschach automatically adjusted his collar to shield Diana from the rain. He rarely thought about the 'why' behind his bond with Daniel's cat, but after some time he had admitted (quite grudgingly) to himself that the company was… nice.

The rain couldn't last forever, so the vigilante and his… pet? Companion? Partner? Rorschach frowned, the expression of flesh causing a shift in his true face, as he chewed on that last word. Partner… Turning his head a little to look at the cat, she rubbed her damp face against his jaw, he grunted. "…You'll do."

* * *

Audrey scowled, still trying to figure out where she went wrong, and glumly handed over the brightly colored bills of play-money. "You sure you aren't cheating or something?" she asked with a smile.

Daniel chuckled, picking up the die and rolling them across the cardboard Monopoly board, "I'm not. Scout's honor." He held up two fingers in a salute, shrugging, "You picked the game."

She waved a hand dismissively, glancing at the television. The news was still going on about the same old things. The weather. The economy. The city's increasing crime rate. They touched on the grand lives of a few celebrities, but nothing that held her attention for long. "Maybe I wouldn't have if I'd known that you studied _banking_," she grumbled, her playful expression contradicting her tone. Something cold and wet touched her ankle and Audrey looked down into a pair of light brown eyes. Cricket wagged his tail hopefully; the pit bull mix (possibly part Rottweiler, judging by his size and body shape) opened his mouth in a canine grin. Audrey rubbed the dog's solid brick of a head, "You hungry, baby?" she asked. "I forgot your dinner, didn't I?" Sliding out of her chair, Audrey excused herself for a moment and stepped into her little kitchen. "Dan, d'you want something to drink?" she asked, pouring some kibble into the dish of her eighty-something pound pushover of a dog.

"I'm all right," he answered, moving his tiny metal thimble place marker. "Stupid hotels," he said, thumbing out the "money" he now owed his opponent. Waiting patiently for the woman to finish with her dog, a surprisingly sweet-tempered animal in spite of his breed's reputation, Dan looked around the living room. It was clean, but with a comfortable level of clutter, with just about ever surface occupied by something. Photos, books and other little odds-and-ends strewn about in a manner that he should expect from… well, she wasn't exactly the most _ordered_ individual. Daniel smiled at the thought, it was actually one of the reasons that he enjoyed her company, she was… He thought for a moment. Spirited. That was a good word. It was still a wonder why she opted to waste time around him. At least, that's how Daniel saw it. Audrey actually found him endearing, with his frequent shyness and nervous habits, and he was someone that she could trust. She even told him this on occasion, but his low self-esteem hadn't allowed him to believe her just yet.

"Hey, Audrey?" he called, upon seeing her window, the curtain was pulled back and he could see the curved steel bars outside of the clearly new window frame.

"Yeah?" She came back out into the main room.

He gestured, "Window bars?"

Audrey paused, looking over at the barred window. Dan saw _something_ flicker in her eyes, but it faded quickly, "Uh, yeah. A guy broke in here a bit after I moved in." She was relaxed and the words came easily, not showing any nervousness or distress about the concept.

"What?" Dan blinked, his expression concerned, though the event was long passed. "You live on the sixth floor! Did he hurt you?" At the shake of her head he added, "Did you get a look at him?"

Reaching across the table she gave her friend's arm a pat, "Dan, calm down." A light chuckle was in her voice, as if somewhat amused by the man's unsettled demeanor.

He frowned, "You're not taking this seriously."

Audrey sighed, pulling her hand back and picking up the die. "I did, but I can't keep dwelling on it, Dan." She half-smiled, "I'd go crazy." Rolling the die she continued as she moved her marker down the board, "I didn't have anything that I could give to the police." Audrey grimaced inwardly at her statement, she'd never outright lied to Dan before, but didn't want to have him freak over it being _Rorschach_ of all people that broke in. She caught his eyes, "My dad's a retired cop, so I kind of know how the investigations go," she explained. "Anyway, I didn't get a look at his face, he was wearing a mask." '_At least, __**that**__ is true_,' she said to herself.

Daniel wasn't content with her statements, but he could make a pretty good guess at whom the intruder had been. Rorschach had made both subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to convince him that Audrey was a danger. He _knew_ that his former partner wasn't above breaking-and-entering and intimidation. '_Wait_,' Dan's thought process screeched to a halt and steered in another direction. '_Why is she protecting him?_' The notion left Daniel perplexed and he sighed in defeat, "What happened?"

Audrey quirked a brow, "What d'yah mean? He broke in, woke me up, I hit him with a bat and he left."

He let out a snort of laughter at the very quick and simplified recount, also (if his guess was correct) at the thought of Rorschach getting blindsided by a woman in her PJs. "A bat?"

She nodded, "Yep, mom always said it was the best thing for personal defense, next to a gun of course." Audrey drummed her fingers on the table and exhaled a heavy breath. "Look," she caught Dan's eyes with her own, her expression alone urging him to drop the subject. "I may not have handled it as well as I could have, but I replaced the window and got a dog. Okay?" She dropped her eyes, studying the game board for a moment though she wasn't actually _looking_ at it. She didn't mean to snap at Dan like that, but this whole business confused her.

Rubbing his neck for a second, obviously seeing that he had tread on a nerve, "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It wasn't my business."

Audrey smiled, relaxing, "No, you were just worried." She chuckled, "Friends are supposed to do that, but I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's a bad habit I need to work on."

"You're fine." Daniel checked his watch, "It's getting late, I'd better get back before Diana misses me." He started organizing his play-money into neat stacks and ordering his property cards by where they were on the board, "I think that this was my game any way," he smiled, shifting the subject.

Audrey snorted, a playful smirk tugging at her lips, "Yeah, yeah, you can believe that if it makes you feel better. I would have had a come-from-behind win, just you see." The other laughed and they joked along a similar line as they put the game away. Audrey was a little disappointed at him leaving, but was also thankful that she had some time to chew over her thoughts. The pair said their goodbyes, making a promise to meet again later that week and he left. Audrey dragged her feet over to the living room and flopped facedown onto her couch, blindly groping for the remote and switching the television off.

Audrey had gotten over the anxiety and stress caused by Rorschach's "house call" months ago, but she still couldn't shake off the '_why_' behind his assault. In actuality she hadn't even really _thought_ about the incident for a while now, but Dan had brought some of her unresolved frustrations back up to the surface. Her working for Veidt was the _only_ thing that connected her to Rorschach in any way, but Adrian likely had hundreds, if not thousands, of people who worked for his company in this city alone… So why target her? Audrey would admit to following the Watchmen in the papers when she was a teenager and then in college, Rorschach and the rest had started cropping up in the papers when she was nineteen or so.

As such, she knew that the supposed "Crimebusters" had not exactly parted on the best of terms, so she had no way of asking the famed Ozymandias if he knew anything. Not that she would have any way or reason that would allow her a private meeting with the head of Veidt Industries. Even if she _did_ manage it, what could she say? "Hello sir, I was wondering if you, the most watched man in the world, had any information about your estranged team member. You know the illegal, homicidal vigilante, Rorschach? Cause I would really love to meet the smelly man who broke into my home and not so subtly threatened my life." Audrey smiled mirthlessly at the thought, "Yeah, that would have gone over **great**," she muttered aloud.

Cricket ambled over to her, licking his jowls contentedly after his meal, and nuzzled his mistress' head curiously. She rubbed his ears, finding the animal's presence calming, sitting up she motioned him up onto the couch with her. The dog immediately did so and rolled over onto his back, his solid head leaning on Audrey's thigh. She stroked his chest and belly, scratching a few spots on his sides when she neared them. "Some great protector you'd be," she muttered with some humor, "You're about as dangerous as Dan's cat." The canine panted happily, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth and she smiled fondly. It was good, since she had adopted him for that attribute; she wanted a dog that would be a _visual_ deterrent, not a threat to her safety. Kissing Cricket on the nose, Audrey got up off the couch and checked the door, "I think it's time for bed."

* * *

The rain had abated for the time being, but the dark clouds overhead promised more before the night was done. Daniel turned the collar of his coat up against the wind, hoping to get back home before the rain started up again. "I'm going to kill Rorschach when I see him," he muttered sourly. Taking a shortcut through an abandoned lot, "…He could have really hurt her," he added, concern for his female friend backed by first-hand knowledge of the vigilante's unstable nature. Distracted by his thoughts, the retired crimefighter didn't realize that he was surrounded until it was almost too late. Measuring up his opponents, he swore under his breath, continuing down his own path without slowing or speeding up. '_Great, just what I needed_.'

Managing to cross the lot, he could see the road and traffic at the distant end of the alley, and that was when the group made their move. Sprinting ahead of them and into the alley, Dan turned and faced the gang, '_Can't out run them_,' he thought bitterly, damning himself for not staying in better shape. "I don't want any trouble guys," he said calmly, backing slowly towards the street. Two of the members broke off from the back of the main group, running in opposite directions out of the alley, '_Shit, they're going to circle the buildings and cut me off… So much for the Battle of Thermopolae_,' he thought with mild chagrin.

"'Course not," one sneered; neon lights glinted off of the sharp blades that seemed to just appear in the punks' hands. Daniel quickly analyzed the situation; he was outnumbered six to one, unarmed and about to be surrounded in a dark New York City alleyway. The last two didn't bother him too much, but the six to one odds could be tricky. Quick steps echoed behind him and he sighed inwardly, '_Great._'

Annoyance winning out over fear Dan frowned a little at the one he guessed was the leader, "Look, you can have my wallet," he started digging through his pocket, "No trouble. No mess. Okay?"

The leader grinned, "Come on, that wouldn't be any fun."

'_Terrific_.' The two behind him charged and Daniel reacted instinctively, grabbing the first and using his own forward momentum against him and throwing him into the larger group. Pivoting on his heel, away from the other kid and his knife, he took off down the alley. '_Forget this, maybe I can make it._' Three more knife wielding Top-Knots turned into the alley and _**now**_ Dan started to feel nervous. He skidded to a halt and set himself into a long unused fighting stance.

A low, angry growl sounded from overhead, and in spite of his current situation, Daniel looked up. '_What the hell?!_' "Diana?!" The young cat jumped down from her second story perch, onto a dumpster and to Dan's heels. Hissing and spitting fiercely at the gang of Top-Knots threatening her human.

Surprise got the gang to stop for a moment as they digested the unusual display. That was more than enough. How he managed to land safely on the ground was beyond Daniel, but he was no less thankful to see his old partner slam, feet first, down into a few of the punks. Startled and disoriented, the gang burst into motion and the fight began.

It all happened very quickly, but Daniel felt himself slipping back into (what he had thought were) long forgotten motions, blocking and striking almost without thought. Back-to-back with his old partner the Nite Owl lived again, if only for a short while. Not to last, the gang eventually scrambled away, dragging their bruised and broken away with them.

Daniel leaned against the brick wall, catching his breath, picking Diana up when she started rubbing against his shins. He looked over at Rorschach and the shorter vigilante stared right back. "Thanks." He wanted to say something else, he just couldn't quite figure out what it was.

Rorschach shrugged indifferently and said nothing, looking off where the gang had fled.

Diana purred softly, kneading her human's shoulder with her paws as he stroked her back. For some time that was the only sound uttered among the group.

"Still have it, nothing changes," Rorschach commented softly, clearly talking to himself.

Dan frowned, "What?"

Rorschach turned to the other man, "Just like old times," was the simple reply. "See you, Daniel," and he started walking away.

"Wha- Ror-" he started unsuccessfully and gave up, exhaling in defeat. There was little to no expression in Rorschach's voice or body language, but he had heard the… happy tone in his voice? No that was too strong a word, maybe 'mildly pleased' was better. A fat raindrop chose to drop itself on Daniel's head and he held Diana closer to his chest, looking back where the vigilante had gone. Not surprisingly, he couldn't find a trace of the troubled man, so he continued on his way home.

* * *

Bleh, I'm not sure about this chapter, it's just- I dunno, but at least I'm updating ^^;

...Actually I think it comes down to this simple fact: I cannot write nor describe fight sequences for shit /

Ah well ^^


	10. Good Samaritan

OMG I hate summer classes

* * *

Audrey leaned back in her seat, her watch read five minutes to the hour. "Calm down, Michael," she chuckled, looking sidelong at the younger man as he tapped nervously on the tabletop. That, aside from the heavy April rain shower beating down on the windows, was essentially the only sound in the small meeting room.

The man, a recent graduate from Maine, smiled weakly and put his hands in his pockets, "Sorry. Winston just makes me nervous." Their manager was overbearing and a constant stress at the studio, not making it easy for a young artist with a wavering level of confidence in his work.

"He makes us all nervous, hun," said a petite, red-headed women across the table. Karen was about Audrey's age, but looked like she could still be in high school, with her round, freckled face and wiry curls of hair. "But try not to worry so much," she added, "This is just a progress report and we're ahead of schedule anyway."

Michael nodded, letting out a heavy sigh, "Right, right." He picked up one of the plastic prototypes of the Comedian action figure, turning it absently in his hands, "We're gonna have to dumb down the designs," he muttered with a sour note in his voice. The three of them were the "leaders" of their own teams of three or so other people, and Michael in particular was not looking forward to telling one of the obsessively detail oriented individuals on his team this fact.

"Probably," Audrey agreed, looking back out the window. The door opened with a click, admitting the their manager and he immediate set down to business.

---

Rorschach grunted in annoyance and pain as he leaned heavily against the damp brick wall. "Stupid amateur's mistake," he muttered, pushing his gloved hand into his coat to grip at his side. The rain was beating down hard onto his shoulders and each step sent a spike of pain up his bruised leg and badly sprained ankle. '_Stupid…_' He clenched his jaw, stubbornly continuing forward. '_Apartment too far away, can't make it. Weak,_' he thought, doubting that he would be able to make it another few steps, much less the half dozen blocks back to his sorry excuse for a home.

With his vision blurring at the edges, Rorschach gripped his side harder with shaky fingers, feeling the warm trickle of blood running down his hip. His heart was hammering in his chest and for the briefest of moments he actually considered just lying down on the alley floor. Giving up. Snarling at himself for even thinking such a thing he straightened and took a deliberate step forward, at which his ankle gave out beneath him and he collapsed onto the ground.

---

After the meeting, Audrey bid farewell to her coworkers as they all left the studio building. As predicted the marketing head was having them simplify the toy designs to make them easier for mass production, but a set of the prototypes would be kept for advertising purposes. As multiple sets had been made over the last month or so, each of the designers had been free to take some of these final products home with them.

Karen had practically leapt at the Owlship, a little larger than a football, the toy had been her own personal project in the first few months of development. The other bits had been divided up with little more than a few spare words over who deserved to keep what. Audrey was thankful that she managed to avoid most of that and patted her leather satchel, pleased with her own loot. Her manager's commentary hadn't really bothered her too much, she had expected this turn of events. Looking up at the sky she chided herself for forgetting an umbrella and set off at a brisk pace back to her apartment.

Immersing herself in the sounds and smells of her city the woman wondered why she had ever left in the first place. New York had a vibrant energy that few people really took the time to notice; it was _alive_ in its own way. So, as she was set in a sort of wordless contentment with her life, Audrey was listening and seeing her surroundings where she usually just sunk into her own thoughts as she walked home. This awareness had her pick up a soft rustle of cloth and a heavy thump from a dark lot she passed by.

Stopping, she sidestepped around a few people on the sidewalk and toed over the alley, peering inside curiously. Listening she took another step, thinking that it was likely just some homeless person searching for shelter, she glanced back to the sidewalk behind her and continued toward the sound.

After about fifteen feet or so Audrey paused and looked back a foot or two, frowning at the crumpled form leaning against a dumpster she smelled something odd. It was faintly sour and metallic, likely washed away by the last rain shower, but she picked it up nonetheless. Taking a careful step towards the form she barely held back her gasp of surprise when she fully recognized the sharp scent of blood and refuse on the hobo. Giving a short curse Audrey crouched down and after a short, hesitant pause reached out and pushed aside his scarf to lay her fingers under his jaw. '_He's cold and the pulse is thready at best_,' she noted and squeaked in shock when the comatose figure suddenly knocked her hand back with a soft… '_Did he just growl?_'

"You have to get to a hospital," she said, putting her hands on his arms to help him up, his head leaned against the dumpster and that, along with his hat and the poor light, obstructed any view she had of his face. The crumpled heap of a man gave another irritated sound, shrugging her off with a surprisingly sharp jerk of his shoulders. He said something, the words were low and slightly slurred, but Audrey gathered that he was refusing her help. "Tough luck, buddy," she muttered, kneeling around beside him and maneuvering her arm under his shoulders. Heaving the injured man to his feet as gently as she could, while choosing to ignore his stubborn protests, Audrey looked back towards the street and called out to the pedestrians. None answered for when she spoke a rumble and crack of thunder rolled overhead and a light trickle of rain started plunking down on her head.

'_Great_.' Before she could call out again, her charge suddenly became a dead weight in her arms. "Jee-!" Struggling to not drop him, Audrey somehow managed to get one of his arms across her shoulders, wrinkling her nose at his rank and musty smell. That was when she saw his hat lying on the ground, and looking to his face Audrey almost dropped the vigilante in her alarm.

The blots of Rorschach's mask were barely shifting, but it was unmistakable and she mentally smacked herself upside the head for not realizing it sooner. Now standing in a dark, wet alleyway with an unconscious outlaw in her arms, Audrey wanted to kick herself for getting into this mess. '_Acting without thinking first… Not the first time it's gotten me in trouble_,' she thought sourly. '_A smart person would just leave you here…_'

Hefting Rorschach's limp form to get a better grip, she half dragged and half carried him down the alley and took a less populated route back to her apartment. When she wasn't concentrating on keeping the vigilante from falling to the ground, she was quietly reprimanding herself for doing this. "I'm a fuckin' idiot with a death wish," she muttered. "But I'm not turning you into the cops any more than I'd just leave you here to rot."

By the time she reached her apartment building, they were both soaked with rainwater and Audrey was growing more and more concerned with the raspy, shallow breathing coming from her unconscious burden. Praying that no one would see them, Audrey kicked the button on the elevator and shuffled Rorschach in and out of the lift when it reached her floor. A span of soft curses (and a short juggling act as she got her keys) later, Audrey bumped her door closed and almost tripped over her dog.

Swearing again she lowered Rorschach onto the carpet and leaned against the wall, she was shivering from the rain and flushed from heaving around a man that was just about equaled her weight. Cricket sniffed at the unmoving body, a low whine echoing from his chest as he looked at his mistress in confusion. Groaning from the strain in her back and shoulders, Audrey knelt down beside the vigilante and hesitated. '_What the hell am I suppose to do now?_' she asked herself. She had no training or experience with nursing people or really doing anything other than basic first aid, and looking him over she could easily tell that he'd lost quite a bit of blood. His coat and pant leg were stained a dark rust red from the partially dried blood and she could see a handful of tears in his clothes that looked like they were inflicted by knives. Big ones.

Pulling herself together Audrey opened the trenchcoat and eased his arms out of it, which was easier said than done. She gagged slightly at the heavy smell of blood, grime and unwashed skin but continued taking stock of the damage. A bundle of dirty cloth had been bunched against his side, obviously put there before she had found him. Getting up to quickly retrieve her first aid kit she peeled off the wads of red-brown stained fabric and opened his pinstriped jacket. She set down to cleaning and disinfecting the mostly clotted wound in his side as best she could, lifting his dingy wifebeater to wrap gauze around his torso.

Cricket laid down quietly beside the vigilante, watching with concern as Audrey worked. She was distant, focused only on bandaging and cleaning the multitude of injuries on the man, settling into a mindset she made when working on a painting or sculpture. All that mattered to her was the task at hand, the man needed help and she didn't know if she could risk calling another person to help her.

Tugging and finagling his coat and jacket out from under him was an interesting feat, the outlaw slipping in and out of consciousness as she moved him around. Her heart almost stopped beating at one point when he shot up and thrashed his arms at her, thankfully his poor state had him lacking the coordination he needed to succeed in his attack. When he had settled back down she untied his soggy scarf and debated whether or not to remove his mask, trying to keep herself calm after the attempted assault.

His pale, lightly freckled, but well muscled arms and shoulders were almost icy to the touch, as was the rest of him. Pulling her large dog closer she pushing him up against Rorschach's side and told him to stay put. Getting up she returned with several cushions and an armful of blankets. Looking down at him she frowned, "I should get you on the couch," she muttered, then thought better of it. "I'd probably rip his side open if I did that…" Kneeling down she tugged off his shoes and soaked socks, quickly rubbing his feet dry with a towel before laying a heavy blanket over his legs and propping his feet up with a few cushions. Throwing another blanket over the top half of his body, she tucked Cricket in with him, knowing a dog was just about as good as any heated blanket. Petting and praising the animal with a few head scratches she settled back on her heels, suddenly at a loss as to what to do.

Audrey looked Rorschach's blanketed form over again, her gaze stopping at his mask. She could hear his still shallow, but thankfully steady breathing through the latex, and reached to feel his pulse, while comparing it to her own. "I think that's a little stronger than before," she guessed with a frown, not happy that she really didn't know for sure. Listening to his breathing for a few moments she gently peeled the mask just up to his nose, revealing a scraggly, unshaven jaw and a dry, rough looking mouth.

Satisfied that he could at least breath a little easier, Audrey leaned back against the wall and stifled back a yawn. '_Don't fall asleep, you idiot_,' her mind snapped, '_you have a maniac who threatened your life __**in your apartment**__!!!_' And she tried to stay awake, watching Rorschach ride out whatever he had experienced that night and eventually hearing the heavy breathing and soft snores from her dog. However, it was inevitable, Audrey eventually drifted off to sleep, leaving it until the morning for the consequences of her actions to rear their ugly heads.

* * *

Yeah summer classes suck, so it took be a while to get this down. But whatever, enough excuses.

I'm taking a leap with this turn of events, but the next chapter's gonna be interesting tah do ^^ Heeheehee. I've already gotten half of the next chapter drafted and I don't have any more big school assignments due this week so I'll be able to get a longer chapter in before Friday… Yay!! And to anyone who's still following this story ^^ thanks for bearing with me. See yah next time lovelies!!!


	11. A PLEA FOR HELP

Hey peeps

First off I want to spread my love and thanks to anyone who would still be willing to read this after my ridiculously hiatus. I _LOVE_ you guys!

Second I want to apologize that I still haven't finished the next chapter *dodges bricks* It's kinda sorta two-thirds done… ish…

*tugs her hair in frustration*

The problem is that I honestly don't know where I want to take the story from here. I didn't start with any sort of long-term plot since none of my fanfictions have ever gotten past two or three chapters before. Neh-ver!

I'm also losing confidence with this story altogether. I am constantly second guessing myself over how badly I'm ass-raping Rorschach's character and in my efforts to make Audrey more believable I fear that I'm making her Sue-ish. GAH!

My plan behind this fic was to just play around with the characters and have fun with writing Rorschach because he's just such a ball to write. This is rapidly becoming a strictly friendship fic over a romance, since Rorschach just wouldn't work that way...

So yeah, I have epic writer's block that is not helped by a heavy course load. *sighs*

Uh, so um… I was wondering if anyone would be interested and willing to be a sort of idea bouncer. I'm not asking for anyone to write for me, I know you all have busy lives and everything, but none of my IRL friends really like Watchmen anymore, least of all want to help me with my Rory-fic . And I'm at a loss.

I'm not sure if this is me asking for a beta or not . I don't know…

So, yeah, if anyone is interested please please **please** drop me a line, PM, email or whatever.

Thanks again for hanging on for so long guys.

**Thanks sooo much**

^_^


	12. Unwelcome Company

Omfg It has taken me forever to get this together . Everyone gets awesome cookies and points and stuff for putting up with me for this long.

Thanks to everyone who will still be willing to read this story after the ridiculous hiatus, and I hope I made it worth your wait ^__^;

* * *

_Raindrops beat down heavily on the windshield, a mild drumbeat to accompany the steady thrum of the car's engine. A warm hand lightly stroked her face as she dozed in the passenger seat, her own hands resting on the moderate swell of her belly. A little foot kicked against her palm - an earsplitting scream of metal scraping on metal. A crushing force against her legs. Pain._

_Christopher!  
_  
Audrey woke up with a start, her skin shining with a thin sheen of sweat and her breath coming out in startled gasps. Cricket whined softly, a cold nose on her bared knee and a pair of warm brown eyes staring at her expectantly. "Okay, okay," she muttered groggily, flashes of her dream still darting around in her head as she pushed the dog's head out of the way. Sitting up it felt like a hundred pins were stuck into her forearm and legs. Grimacing in discomfort, she slowly worked blood back into her limbs. Still mildly shaken by her violent dream, but relieved by how the agitation gradually faded as the bloodied images slipped back into her subconscious, she nearly gave herself a heart attack when she saw a body lying on her living room carpet. Taking a deep breath as she remembered the details of the previous night, she got up. "So much for dreaming you up," she muttered, trying to work out a muscle in her neck.

As if in reply, the unconscious man made a low, wordless murmur, but otherwise remained asleep, or, at least, Audrey hoped that he was still asleep. The morning light made her situation all the stranger. Rorschach was a boogieman that stalked around the alleys at night, seeing him (unconscious no less) in the daylight just screwed around with the image that the media had planted in her head. It challenged his mystique as some lurking specter, when all he really was was just a living, breathing person. _'At least he is at the moment…'_ Audrey frowned at the thought and absently petted Cricket's head. The night's rest seemed to have done the man some good, his breathing was still ragged, but his pulse seemed a bit stronger. _'Small favors,'_ she thought, shuddering at the thought of what she would have done if Rorschach had died sometime during the night.

Cricket nudged his mistress' leg, prancing around in a circle with an impatient whine. Audrey quickly put her hands around the dog's muzzle, trying to silence him, but he continued anxiously stepping in place and wagging his tail. Glancing at the wall clock Audrey groaned, it was late in the morning, the dog was probably about to explode if she didn't take him out, but she didn't want to leave the injured vigilante unsupervised.

Nudging her dog out of the way, Audrey knelt down and folded back the blankets, examining the gauze wrappings on his side. There was a small rust-brown stain in the center of the pad, but no other sign of bleeding. Relieved by that fact, she went to check his forehead, pausing when she  
realized that his mask was still there covering the top half of his face.  
Looking him over she hesitated, a part of her warning her firmly against completely unmasking him. That inner voice confused her, why should she be worried? What did he have to hide? _'He likely has his reasons... and what good would it do if I saw his face anyway?'_ Audrey then recalled the articles and news columns she had seen about him,_ 'I'd better not take chances with a madman.' _Rorschach stirred, turning his head a little and with great effort. Audrey froze.

The vigilante was disoriented and irritated, not a favorable combination for the woman leaning over his face. Both individuals reacted instinctively, Audrey falling backwards in just enough time to avoid Rorschach's fist as it swung at her head. The man made a low sound in his throat; mouth fixed in a grimace of pain and he sagged back down on the carpet. Audrey watched him  
warily and got back up to a kneeling position. Cricket had shuffled out of the way when Rorschach had struck, the large dog startled by the man's sudden movements. He was now leaning against Audrey's side, with his head lowered and hackles raised slightly as a soft growl rumbled deep in his chest.

Audrey waited, not speaking or moving for some stretch of time, until Rorschach muttered roughly, so quiet that she almost didn't catch it, "…Never compromise," and started to pull himself up to his feet again.

"Wait," Audrey said, catching the vigilante's fuzzy attention just before he started to sway. She got a hold of his arms as he fell back onto the floor, _'Idiot lost blood, he shouldn't move that quick.' _ Her efforts were rewarded with a struggle as Rorschach tried to throw her off in  
spite of what felt like his skull getting beat in with a sledgehammer. "You have to stay still. You'll open your side back up, and I don't know if you can risk losing much more blood."

"Don't need help," he growled and fought against her touch. _'Filthy whore, thinks she's… where's my hat?'_ Rorschach thought disjointedly and tried to stay conscious, the sudden movement had nearly made him black out and he refused to admit that he didn't have the strength to sit up by himself at the moment.

Audrey gave a derisive snort, but didn't answer. Forcing him back down, she moved around to look at his side again and let out a relieved breath. "Idiot," she muttered and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look," she started, hoping that he actually listened. "You're were hurt and I'm helping you. All right? A smart person would have left you to bleed in that alley and a normal person would have called the cops by now." She clenched her jaw firmly, frayed nerves and fear hidden behind this hard mask, "Count yourself lucky that I am neither at this moment."

Rorschach scrutinized her for a moment, "Threatening me?"

"Maybe."

He scowled, an interesting expression considering half of his face was covered, "First mistake."

"Most likely."

They stared each other down; Audrey wasn't sure she could maintain her bravado, but Rorschach gave a noncommittal grunt and laid his head back. However he didn't relax, his body was tensed and ready to act.

Feeling tired, even though she had just woken up, Audrey shook her head, "I'm not going to hurt you. Why would I if I'm going through all this trouble to try and patch you back together?" Unsurprisingly the man didn't answer and Audrey let it go. _'I wonder if he recognizes me,'_ she mused, walking into the kitchen. Rummaging through the cabinet, she paused, _'I mean, he  
must have had some reason for bullying me.'_ Shaking her head she poured a glass of water and grabbed a few painkillers from the cabinet, _'It doesn't matter, I need to get him well enough to walk and kick his ass out of here before my landlord finds out… What the hell was I thinking last night?!'_

While the woman was taking a moment to muse on her situation, her dog had dropped his aggressive posturing and was investigating the now conscious figure on the floor. Rorschach ignored the animal and focused on getting his bearings. He had instantly recognized Audrey and was on guard considering his past interactions with her, because for all he knew she had left to get a knife or some other weapon from the kitchen. Clearing his head Rorschach started thinking up an escape plan when Cricket moved to sniff at the top of the vigilante's head, tail wagging cheerfully. Rorschach jerked his head away, practically snarling at the dog in irritation. This seemed to deter the animal, but he was back a moment later, nudging a cold, curious nose against the man's shoulder. Rorschach had enough at that point and flung an arm at the dog's head. Cricket scrambled out of the way in time, so the impact barely grazed him.

Audrey came back into the room in time to see her pet retreating from the vigilante with a decidedly sullen expression on his jowled face. She patted the animal's head reassuringly and crouched down beside Rorschach. Touching his shoulder with her knuckle she asked, "I take it you're still alive then?" she asked, quirking her brow. The slight touch earned the woman a rough, angry growl of displeasure, the abruptness of the sound having her withdraw her hand quickly. _'Idiot,'_ she barked at herself. _'He's a killer, not some helpless puppy. If he wanted to he could kill you with his bare hands, so don't let your guard down.'_ Taking a calming breath, she put the painkillers next to his hand, "Take these and drink this," she held the glass in front of his face before placing it on the floor by him.

Rorschach held the pill up and turned it between two fingers, "Trying to drug me," he looked over at the glass, "Or poison."

Audrey laughed in spite of the situation, "Man, you are a paranoid little bastard, aren't you?" Shaking her head she stepped over him and grabbed a leash from the table, "I'm sure even you can feel pain, and thought some Tylenol could help." Calling Cricket over she clipped the leash onto his collar and opened the door. Poking her head out the door and checking up the hall she added in a clipped tone, "Just try not to bleed on my carpet when you try crawling out of here on your own." Then she left, closing and locking the door behind her, Audrey took another deep breath and forced some of the shakiness out of her limbs. "Two seconds, two seconds," she whispered softly to her, "What could happen in two seconds?" Every single possible answer to that question flew through her mind at once and she barely suppressed her groan of despair. Injured or no, the man still scared her, but she'd be damned if she let that show any more than necessary. Cricket was practically hopping up and down at this point, excited now that the woman was outside the door. Audrey rubbed his ears affectionately and led him to the stairs, urging the dog to move quickly as he bounded ahead of her. "Let's make this quick, who  
knows what that psycho is going to get into."

Rorschach listened after the woman, waiting until her footfalls faded down the stairwell before he moved. The first thing he checked was his face, thoroughly annoyed, but also relieved that the mask was at least half on. A wave of anger and revulsion washed over him as he thought of the woman touching him, not to mention fury at himself for being too weak and disoriented to prevent it. Pushing himself up to rest on his elbows he took stock of the apartment, once he forced his dizziness down. _'Have to move. Can't trust her, she must have some motive. Keep guard up.'_ His ankle was stiff and only a little swollen, he was sure he could manage to walk on it a little when his head stopped spinning. The wound in his side (the worst of the handful of cuts he had received the night before) throbbed dully, but was scarcely the life threatening injury that Audrey had seemed to think it was. _'Bled a lot, but no internal damage. A day, maybe two before I get back out on the streets.' _ Rorschach was dedicated, not stupid. This was not the first time had been forced to take a break from his nightly patrols due to injury, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Tugging his mask firmly down over the rest of his face, Rorschach reached for his coat, feeling uncomfortable and exposed in the woman's apartment with only his wife beater. The article had seemingly been tossed to the side when she had brought him in and the first thing he checked was if his journal was still in its place. And it was, still tucked securely in one of the deeper, inner pockets.

Throwing off the blankets, bare skin prickling in the cooler air, Rorschach hauled himself up onto his better foot, swaying noticeably as his somewhat depleted blood supply rushed from his head. Gritting his teeth against the sudden blackness flooding his vision he reached and managed to get his jacket and coat back on before he gripped the doorknob. Unlocking the door he peered out for a moment before darting up the stairwell. His twisted ankle slowed this normally quiet maneuver, but he was still up two and a half flights before Audrey had reentered the building.

Hearing people inside the apartments brought Rorschach out of his escape mode and back to his surroundings. He pulled his mask off and shoved it into his coat pocket just as a father ushered his two small children out of their apartment and into the hallway. Rorschach flipped up his coat collar and continued up the stairs, the children completely ignoring the vigilante as they rushed past him. The father watched the disheveled redhead warily out of the corner of his eye as they passed each other, but the vagrant just quietly continued up the stairs.

The father caught up with his children, pushing the shady individual from his mind. "Jerry! Kevin! Slow down! What have I told you two about runnin' on the stairs?" he scolded. The boys chorused an automatic apology when Audrey and her dog rounded up the stairwell. He immediately noticed the agitated expression in the woman's eyes, "You all right?"

Audrey slowed her step just long enough to catch her bearings and say, "Fine. Just left the oven on."

"Watch yourself, there's this weird looking guy walkin' around upstairs," he warned, speaking quickly so she'd hear before running off.

She halted, "What?" A sudden conflicting burst of relief and alarm rushed through her.

"Short, dirty, redheaded guy. Really iffy lookin', just watch yourself."

Audrey tried to appear relaxed and knew she was failing. "I will," she said, and started up the stairs again, throwing a quick, "Thanks," over her shoulder_. 'Could it be- Oh, please of course it was him.' _ Reaching her floor and seeing her partially open door confirmed it. "God, he's quick," she muttered, letting Cricket back into the apartment. She glanced up the stairwell, hugging her arms against the eerie feeling that crawled up her spine. 'Isn't this a good thing? Shouldn't I be relieved that he's out of my hair? Audrey ran an irritated hand through her hair and locked her door. "I would so get killed in a horror movie." she muttered and went up the stairs.

She checked down each hallway, looking for anything out of the ordinary as the tenants milled about the building. Reaching the top floor she heard a faint whistling over her head, peering up to the roof entrance she saw the metal door swinging a little on its hinges, open by an inch or two. Proceeding cautiously she slowly opened the door and jumped outside, pivoting on her heel she spun around to face the door and the top of the box-shaped protrusion that housed the stairway. When a few moments passed and she was not attacked, Audrey suddenly felt foolish and dropped her very unpracticed kickboxing stance. Giving off a relieved sigh she scanned the roof and the neighboring buildings, and (unsurprisingly) she found them devoid of anything, save for the wind and a few pigeons.

Shaking her head, Audrey went back into the building and secured the door behind her, _'Not my problem anymore,'_ she thought as she skipped back down the few flights to her apartment. _'…Just hope he doesn't get himself killed.'_ She mentally smacked herself. _'Why the hell do I care about that? I should be worried if he's going to decide to come after me again.'_ She rubbed the bridge of her nose, groaning softly at that thought and reentered her small home. Scratching Cricket's solid head as he greeted her, Audrey smiled, "Well, he'll have to get through you first won't he?" The large mutt woofed happily and wagged his tail in answer, both signs of a definitive 'Yes' as far as Audrey was concerned, "Good dog."

* * *

I know this chapter is really thin on plot, but I promise more in the next chapter I swear! Anyway, I hope you all liked it and that it was at least mildly worth the wait XD

Special thanks to Keeper-of-the-Cheese for proofreading this for me! Thanks so much!

And Thanks to Gaara-frenzy for the feedback and to everyone else who offered help *glomps everyone*

Yeah so, I still live for reviews! Remember i can only improve if people critique me XD Have a good one guys!


End file.
